Surface modification on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite by slow highly charged ions

We have investigated surface modification by highly charged ions (HCIs) on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surfaces with Raman spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. The xenon-HCIs having various charges up to 48+ were incident on HOPG samples with an identical collision velocity (5 × 105 m/s). In Raman spectra, disorder induced peaks (D peak) appeared around 1355 cm−1 in addition to narrower, persistent peaks (G peak) at 1580 cm−1 which are characteristic of unirradiated HOPG. The intensity ratio of the D peak to the G peak is much larger than that of HOPG irradiated with singly charged ions (SCIs) at the same fluence. By the annealing treatment, the intensity of the D peak decreased as small as practically unobservable. In the microscopic observation, on the other hand, protrusion nanostructures induced by HCI impacts did not disappear completely although their volume decreased drastically. From such relaxation dynamics, it is made clear that not only point and dimmer vacancies which is created in common with SCI irradiation, but also “cluster vacancies” are formed at the surface and subsurface.