Influence of the Angle of Incidence on Sputtering Yields

Small metal spheres are bombarded by uniform Hg+ ion beams of low energy (125 to 800 ev). Comparison of shadow micrographs of the spheres before and after sputtering makes it possible to determine the influence of the angle of incidence on sputtering yields. Fe, Ta, and Mo showed a pronounced increase in yield at more oblique incidence of the ions while Au, Ag, and Pt showed this effect only slightly.