Laser annealing of silicon clusters

Abstract

Positive silicon cluster ions prepared by laser vaporization in a supersonic beam and trapped in an ion cyclotron resonance cell were probed in chemisorption reactions with ethylene and ammonia. Clusters in the 36–51 atom size range were effectively annealed to unique structural forms by excitation with a XeCl excimer laser followed by cooling through infrared radiation and collisions with argon.