Effects of sputtering on the surface of graphite

SUMMARY We present STM images of the sputtered surfaces of graphite after different sputtering times. The roughness (r.m.s.) and the peak‐to‐valley distance were calculated from the digitized STM signals. The roughness versus etching time graph shows that the roughness increases with etching time initially, but does not change with increased sputtering later. The peak‐to‐valley distance is proportional to the roughness with a coefficient of 8·7. The Fourier transform shows peaks corresponding to the size of mountains created on the sputtered surfaces.