Enhanced susceptibility of CaF2(1 1 1) to adsorption due to ion irradiation

We have investigated morphological changes of freshly cleaved CaF₂(1 1 1) single crystal surfaces before and after ion irradiation. We show that with or without irradiation the surface undergoes serious changes within minutes after the cleavage if the samples are exposed to ambient conditions. This is most likely due to the adsorption of water and could be avoided only if working under clean ultra-high-vacuum conditions. Ion-induced modifications on this surface seem to act as centers for an increased rate of adsorption so that any quantitative numbers obtained by atomic force microscopy in such experiments have to be treated with caution.