We have investigated ion-beam irradiation effects on the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in the SiC surface decomposition method. A SiC(0001) surface was irradiated by Ar+ ion with 1 or 5 keV for 1 h and then annealed at 1700℃ for 2 h at a pressure of 2×10−2 Pa. We found that the CNTs grown on the surface with 1 keV Ar+ ion irradiation are longer than CNTs grown without Ar+ ion irradiation. In the case of Ar+ ion irradiation at 5 keV, short CNTs are formed on the surface. These results indicate that damage to the SiC(0001) surface affects the CNT formation in the SiC surface decomposition method.
