Sputtering yields for low-energy Ar+- and Ne+-ion bombardment

The development of fluorescent lamps requires reliable experimental data of low-energy (30-300 eV) sputtering yields of the metallic components of lamps. An experimental study was carried out to measure the sputtering yields of molybdenum, tungsten and iron using the plasma chamber of a Secondary Neutral Mass Spectrometer (SNMS). The sputtering ion beam was extracted from radio frequency noble gas (Ar/Ne)-plasmas. The number of atoms sputtered was determined from the weight loss of the target by means of a microbalance. The sputtering yields data for Mo/Ar, W/Ar and Fe/Ar target/projectile combinations and their energy dependence were in good agreement with those calculated by computer simulations and measured by other groups. The sputter yield obtained for Fe/Ne target/projectile combination shows some deviation from the simulation results. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.