Deposition of mass-selected cluster ions using a pulsed arc cluster-ion source

A PACIS (pulsed are cluster-ion source) developed for high average cluster-ion currents is presented. The performance of the PACIS at different operational modes is described, and the suitability for cluster-deposition experiments is discussed in comparison with other cluster-ion sources. Maximum currents of mass-selected cluster ions of 3-6 nA of small Sin (n = 4-10) clusters and 0.3-0.5 nA of large Al-n(+/-) (n = 20-70) clusters are achieved. The mass-selected cluster ions are soft-landed on a substrate at residual kinetic energies lower than 1 eV/atom, and the samples are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. First results on the soft landing of magic Si-4(-) clusters on graphite are presented.