Molecular-Dynamics Simulation of Silicon Irradiation with 2–8 keV C 60 Fullerene Ions

— The processes occurring in the case of the incidence of 2–8 keV C 60 fullerene ions on the Si(100) surface at temperatures ranging from 0 to 700 K are examined using molecular-dynamics computer simulations (by means of the LAMMPS code). The Tersoff-ZBL (Ziegler–Biersack–Littmark) and AIREBO potentials are used, and fast-ion energy losses spent on electron processes are also taken into account. It is shown that the target temperature has no influence on displacement-cascade development but affects its thermalization and crater formation on the surface. As the C 60 ion energy increases, carbon atoms penetrate deeper into the target, and both the formed crater volume and the size of the rim around it enlarge. An increase in the temperature to 700 K leads to a more effective formation of the crater and an increase in the rim compared to those discovered at temperatures of 0 and 300 K. A mechanism of this phenomenon is proposed.