Z. Phys.

D - Atoms, Molecules and Clusters 12,229-233 (1989) Atoms, Molecules

~~D and Ousters
© Springer-Verlag 1989

Sputtered metal and silicon cluster ions: collision-induced

fragmentation and neutralization
W. Begemann, R. Hector, Y.Y. Liu, J. Tiggesbaumker, K.H. Meiwes-Broer, and H.O. Lutz
Fakultiit fiir Physik, Universitiit Bielefeld, D-4800 Bielefeld I, Federal Republic of Germany

Received 7 July 1988; final verSIOn 30 September 1988

Mass separated metal and silicon cluster ion beams Mn+' - are produced by sputtering and
undergo fragmenting and/or neutralizing collisions at different kinetic energies
(100-1800 eV) in Ar and SF 6' Fragment patterns induced by rare gas collisions open a way
to determine ionization potentials and electron affinities of clusters. These values are
compared to known experimental and theoretical data. For negatively charged clusters the
absorption in gas targets is mainly due to neutralization, the cross sections varying with
cluster material, number of atoms and collision partner from 10 A2 to about 50 A2.

PACS: 36.40.+d; 79.20.Nc; 35.20.Vf; 34.70.+e

Introduction for AI; and Si; ) indicate a method to produce neutral

The description of cluster properties as a function of
their size is an important experimental and theoretical
challenge. The resulting need for intense, mass-selected
cluster beams is hampered by the fact that cluster
sources create broad mass distributions; therefore,
mass selection becomes necessary, usually performed
by ion-optical methods. As a result, most experiments
with reliable mass identification have been performed
with charged clusters. However, experiments are
underway to generate also size selected neutral clusters
or at least neutral beams with a narrow mass distribu-
tion [1-4].
An interesting experimental method to investigate
the composition and structures of unknown com-
pounds is the study of collision-induced fragmentation
(CIF). Since more than 20 years CIF is used to analyze
the structures of organic ions. First results on the
fragmentation behaviour of cluster ions (H,;) are
known since that time as well [5]. More recently,
various research groups have applied this technique to
mass-selected metal clusters within a large energy scale
[6-11]. In the work to be reported here, we have
studied fragmentation and neutralization in collisions
between ionic metal and silicon mass-selected clusters
and gas targets. The combination of high neutraliz-
ation and low fragmentation cross sections (as found
mass-selected cluster beams.
Experimental
Figure 1 shows the five-stage differentially pumped
UHV-machine used for collision experiments in the
kinetic energy range of 10-4000 eV [3, 6]. Cluster ions
of both polarities are sputtered by 10-25 keY Xe +
bombardment of different bulk materials; the ions are
accelerated and focussed through a Wien filter to
produce a mass selected continuous cluster beam.
Collision experiments have been performed either
without deceleration (Ekin = 1.8 keY) in a collision
chamber of length 1.35 m, or inside a gas cell (3 cm
long) at energies 100 eV < E kin < 1.8 keY after the
cluster ions have been decelerated by a lens system.
Product ions are separated in forward direction by a
retarding field energy analyzer in front of detector 1, or
by TOF-mass spectrometry in a reflectron (detector 2).
Results and discussion
Fragmentation
In a first experiment we have investigated the inter-
action of accelerated sputtered cluster ions with rare
230

Ion Sources
10 or 25keV Xe+

Wlen Filter

'\

TOF-Refledron ~'.\,
r1\-- ~ I I 'I!"
~
I
\§---' 6 Ib '\!,
Det 1 Det 2 666 \~\
Grid System

1200 1100 365 (mm)

Fig. 1. Experimental arrangement for collision-induced fragmentation and neutralization of mass selected sputtered cluster ions

1 10- 4 mbarAr .D. 1 10- 4 mbar Ar .D.

(IF of 1.8 keY (u~ 5 10- l mbarAr .Ea. (IF of1.8keV [u~ 5 10- l mbar Ar .fi
1 10- l mbar Ar • 1 10- l mbar Ar •

Parent Parent
n=2~~______________~~_M~a_x_=_22_'~~

4~~~LW~~ __________________ 4~~~LU.a~ __________________

4 678
Fragment m
Fig. 2. Fragment ion intensities Im/fo of 1.8 keY Cu:'- in Ar

gases using a coilision length of 1.35 m. As examples, higher stabilities compared to neighbouring cluster
Fig. 2 shows the fragment ion intensities 1m of 1.8 keY masses.
Cu:' - in an argon target at different gas pressures. When alternative fragment channels are open,
The signal is normalized to the sum 10 of transmitted those with the lowest fragmentation energies 0:'-
stable parent ions I p and all fragment ions LIm detec- will be dominant. For decay processes M:' - -+ M~' -
ted under small angles in forward direction. With this + M n - m the required energies D:' - (M~' -, M n - m )
procedure, the influence of cluster beam absorption are roughly
due to scattering and neutralization is minimized.
Even-odd alternations in the fragment ions abund- Dn+ (M~, M n- m) = Dn(Mm, M n- m) + 1P(M m)
ances Cu~' - match the n-dependence in the mass - 1P(M n) (1)
spectra of sputtered Cu:' - and their in metastable
decay behaviour [3, 12]. Cu cluster ions with an odd D;; (M';; , Mn - m) = Dn(Mm, Mn - m) - EA(Mm)
number of atoms and hence paired electrons show + EA(Mn) (2)