Size-selected cluster beam source based on RF magnetron plasma sputtering and gas condensation

We report on a source for producing size-selected nanoclusters based on the combination of radio frequency magnetron plasma sputtering and gas condensation. The use of plasma sputtering to vaporize a target is applicable to a large range of materials; Ag, Au, Cu, and Si have been attempted to date. The source, combined with a time-of-flight mass filter, can produce clusters in the size range from 2 up to at least 70 000 atoms, depending on the target material, with a constant mass (M) resolution (M/Delta M similar to 25) at an intensity that produces atomic monolayer coverage in as little as a few minutes. The source is also attached to an ultrahigh vacuum analysis chamber, which allows in situ surface chemical and structural analysis. Examples of cluster deposition experiments with the source are also presented. (C) American Institute of Physics.