The angular properties of sputtered molybdenum have not been previously measured for impinging ions with energy below 1 keV. The 0.2 – 1 keV energy range is very relevant for currently operational gridded ion thrusters, and exhibits high dependence on angles of incidence and emission as well as incident energy. To address this problem, the Doppler profiles and relative density of molybdenum atoms sputtered from a small, rotatable target by an independently rotatable ion source were determined by laser-induced fluorescence, the first study of its type for the molybdenum element. The profiles were obtained for various emission angles about the target normal as well as for multiple angles of incidence, and ion impingement energies of 250 and 550 eV. The velocity distributions obtained at each incidence angle, field angle, and beam energy were well-fitted to a Thompson distribution. The fittingparameter trends are discussed with reference to angles of incidence and emission, and the impingement energy.
展开▼
