Sputtering of indium using polyatomic projectiles

We have investigated the emission of neutral and charged particles from a polycrystalline indium surface under bombardment with Au, Au2, Au3, Au5 and AuCs2 projectiles with energies between 5 and 10 keV. Sputtered neutral species were postionized by means of saturated single photon ionization, thus characterizing the respective partial sputtering yields. The ionization probability of the emitted species was addressed by measuring the respective secondary ion signals under the same experimental conditions. It is seen that the relative cluster yields are enhanced under polyatomic projectile bombardment, while the ionization probability of In atoms seems to be largely unaffected. # 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved