Definition: number of sputtered atoms divided by the number of incident ions
Varies usually between 0.5 and 1.5
The expression of sputter yield can be written as:
Depends on:
mass ion - the yield increases with the mass of the incident ion
target type - the yield decreases with increasing the mass of the atoms from the substrate
angle - the yield increases with increasing the incidemnt angle until it reaches a maximum at 80o and then decreases to 0 for 90o (at larger angles, less atoms from the target are affected and the energy is not lost in distributing the deep target atoms, but rather contributes toward removing the superficial atoms; for a very high angle, the ion moves almost parallel with the surface and the collision is not efficient anymore)
Substrate preparation
