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R. Ritter, G. Kowarik, W. Meissl, L. Süss, L. Maunoury, H. Lebius, C. Dufour, M. Toulemonde, F. Aumayr:
"Nano-structure formation due to impact of highly charged ions on HOPG";
Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research Section B, 268 (2010), 2897 - 2900.

Highly ordered pyrolitic graphite (HOPG) was irradiated with slow highly charged Arq+ and Xeq+ ions in a
kinetic energy range of 150-360 keV and has been observed by scanning probe microscopy. Nano-sized
hillock-like structures are found for all charge states and kinetic energies with both the scanning tunneling
microscope and the atomic force microscope. However in the latter case, the dependence of the
detected structures on scan conditions points towards a surface modification which manifests itself only
in frictional forces and therefore in height measurement artifacts. Furthermore the generated defects are
not stable but can be erased by continuous scanning in contact mode.

HOPG AFM STM Nanostructuring Hillocks Friction Feature erasure