Ion sputtering is employed to produce structures on the nanometer scale. The surface morphology of Au(111) after sputtering with 500 eV At+ ions at various sputtering temperatures (from room temperature (RT) to 150 degreesC with variation of 25degreesC has been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). It is shown that the sputtering temperature can be used to determine the final surface morphology. At all sputtering temperatures, the surface is characterized by random distribution of pits. The shape and size are briefly discussed. The obtained surface morphology is explained with diffusion processes at various sputtering temperatures. The final surface morphology is the result of the diffusion processes. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.