Molecular Dynamic Investigation of the Anisotropic Response of Aluminum Surface by Ions Beam Sputtering

Aluminum optics are widely used in modern optical systems because of their high specific stiffness and high reflectance. With the applied optical frequency band moving to visible, traditional processing technology cannot meet the processing precision. Ion beam sputtering (IBS) provides a highly deterministic technology for high-precision aluminum optics fabrication. However, the surface quality is deteriorated after IBS. The interaction between the bombard atoms and the surface morphology evolution mechanism are not clear, and systematic research is needed. Thus, in this paper, the IBS process for single crystal aluminum with different crystallographic orientations are studied by the molecular dynamics method. The ion beam sputter process is firstly demonstrated. Then, the variation of sputter yield of the three crystal faces is analyzed. The sputter yield difference of different crystal surfaces causes the appearance of the relief structure. Then, the gravel structure generates on the single crystal surfaces and dominates the morphology evolution. The state of the atom diffusion of the specific crystal surfaces will determine the form of the gravel structure. Furthermore, the form and distribution of subsurface damage and stress distribution of three different crystal surfaces are analyzed. Although there are great differences in defect distribution, no stress concentration was found in three workpieces, which verifies that the ion beam sputter is a stress-free machining method. The process of IBS and the mechanism of morphology evolution of aluminum are revealed. The regularity and mechanism will provide a guidance for the application of IBS in aluminum optics manufacture fields.