Development of a size-selected gas cluster ion beam system for low-damage processing

A high-current gaseous cluster ion beam (GCIB) system with a magnetic size separation function has been developed. This system was equipped with a permanent magnet with a magnetic flux density of 1.2 T. The system consists of a magnetic spectrometer with sliding detector and sample holder on a guiding rail perpendicular to the incoming cluster beam axis. Depending on the momentum of the cluster ions, positioning of the sample on the guiding rail allows bombardment of the sample with the desired cluster size. In this study, preliminary results demonstrating cluster mass spectra and mass resolution are presented. Finally, scanning tunneling microscopy is used to characterize the morphology of individual cluster impacts after irradiation. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.