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Updated: May 30, 2026

Observing and Quantifying Fibroblast-mediated Fibrin Gel Compaction
Published on: January 16, 2014
Real-time observation of FIB-created dots and ripples on GaAs
F Rose1, H Fujita, H Kawakatsu
1Laboratory for Integrated Micro Mechatronic Systems/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (UMI 2820), Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan. Center for International Research on Micro Mechatronics, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan.
Abstract:
We report a phenomenological study of Ga dots and ripples created by a focused ion beam (FIB) on the GaAs(001) surface. Real-time observation of dot diffusion and ripple formation was made possible by recording FIB movies. In the case of FIB irradiation with a 40 nA current of Ga(+) ions accelerated under 40 kV with an incidence angle of θ = 30°, increasing ion dose gives rise to three different regimes. In Regime 1, dots with lateral sizes in the range 50-460 nm are formed. Dots diffuse under continuous sputtering. In Regime 2, dots self-assemble into Bradley and Harper (BH) type ripples with a pseudo-period of λ = 1150 ± 25 nm. In Regime 3, ripples are eroded and the surface topology evolves into microplanes. In the case of normal incidence, FIB sputtering leads only to the formation of dots, without surface rippling.

