In this study, a theoretical model was developed to investigate the mechanism of self-organized nanodots formation fabricated by ion-beam irradiation. The radiation effects were combined into the theoretical model with vacancy diffusion for a reduction of free energy of mixing and interfacial energy. The influences of dose rate, material properties, and temperature on vacancy production and elimination rates during irradiation were all taken into consideration in the numerical calculations. Incorporated with the Monte-Carlo transport of ions in matter calculation for the distribution profile of vacancy production rate, the dynamic evolutions of self-organized nanodots with a uniform size on an irradiated surface were fully illustrated by this model. Varied according to the experimental conditions, the morphologies and length scales of our calculations are in good agreement with many experimental observations in the literature. This theoretical model gives an insight into the mechanism of self-organized pattern formation on irradiated materials through ion-beam technology.
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