Ion Sputtered Silicon Carbide

Classic ion-beam induced cone formation on sputtered Silicon Carbide. Impurities on the original surface give rise to cone growth, shadowed from the incident ion bombardment. Ions reflecting off the cones dig a deeper channel or moat around the base. Imaged with the MFP-3D AFM. Image courtesy of S. MacLaren, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.