https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2005-00163-0
Nanowires with well defined radii formed in operating liquid metal ion sources (LMIS)
Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, bâtiment 510,
Université d'Orsay, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
Corresponding author: a tarento@lps.u-psud.fr
Received:
6
September
2004
Published online:
13
July
2005
For some elements such as germanium or tin, the mass spectra of ions
emitted by liquid metal ion sources (LMIS) exhibit periodicities, i.e.
series of
equidistant peaks with an increase, ν, in the number of atoms between two
peaks. We attribute it to the existence of jets in operating LMIS, the
upper part of them being cylinders with 
sections. The
Ge
and Sn, m=3 to 8, and Ge
,
m= 9 to 14, observed ions can be explained by this mechanism, here
. We extend this mechanism to bismuth and gold and, in this last case,
it allows the interpretation of a yet unexplained Au
ion.
PACS: 36.40.-c – Atomic and molecular clusters / 79.70.+q – Field emission, ionization, evaporation, and desorption
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2005
