Electronic structures of SiO2 thin films via Ar Gas Cluster Ion Beams Sputtering

Abstract: Electronic structure of SiO2 thin films on a Si substrate after Ar GCIB sputtering was investigated using photoemission spectroscopy (PES), which was compared with that of mono-atomic Ar ion sputtering. In the depth profiles of SiO2 thin film, the Ar ion sputtering had a great deal of influence on the surface potential and the valence band structure of a SiO2 thin film. However, the Ar GCIB sputtering under the sample rotation at the grazing incident angle did not cause any significant transition of a chemical bonding state in the SiO2 thin film. The valence band structure of a SiO2 thin film after Ar GCIB sputtering was almost same as that of the as-grown SiO2 thin film. Our results show that the Ar GCIB could be useful for potential applications of oxide materials.