Self-organized patterning by ion bombardment could enable a simple, economical means of inducing well-defined nanoscale structures in a wide variety of settings that can be used as a cost efficient alternative to direct-write methods. Highly ordered submicron/nanoscale surface features like quantum dots, ripples and steep-walled structures can be formed inexpensively over large areas for relevant applications in industrial and manufacturing processes such as making quantum dot arrays with highly controlled optoelectronic properties or magnetic media for high-density storage. In addition, sputtering is commonly used as a method for cleaning surfaces and for depth profiling in numerous analytical techniques. For any of these applications, better control in the topology of the structures during ion irradiation is required and that is only achievable by understanding the fundamental behavior of surfaces during ion bombardment. Despite considerable study, however, many core questions remain about the dominant processes involved in ion beam nanopatterning. With a number of competing theoretical approaches available, deeper experimental insight into the nanopatterning process is critical. Therefore, my research focuses on thin film nanopatterning under noble gas irradiation under UHV condition with the goal of better understanding the physical processes responsible for the surface pattern formation. Our work represents a paradigm shift, moving the field from focusing on the average surface evolution, i.e. the kinetics, to focusing instead on the more fundamental nanoscale dynamics of fluctuations which underlie the average evolution.
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