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Title: Laser induced electron and sodium ion emission from single crystal NaNO{sub 3} at 1064 nm

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.372043· OSTI ID:20215177
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Surface Dynamics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164-2814 (United States)
  2. Department of Physics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235 (United States)
  3. Osaka, (Japan)

Wide band gap insulators irradiated with UV pulsed lasers have been shown to yield both photoinduced electrons and energetic positive ions suggesting occupied electronic states in the band gap. It is not obvious that similar experiments with near-IR wavelengths should yield detectable emissions. Here we report electron and Na{sup +} ion emission from single crystal sodium nitrate ({approx}10 eV band gap) upon exposure to near-IR (1.16 eV) laser radiation. The fluence dependence of both ion and electron yields is highly nonlinear and the kinetic energies of the emitted ions can reach values up to 5 eV. Our data suggest that the observed emissions originate from defect sites and they are consistent with a model that requires multiple single photon charge transfer to ionize an electron trap and subsequently eject a nearby positive adion due to electrostatic repulsion. Further evidence for the role of defects in the observed ion emission are provided by two beam experiments; one beam (UV laser) is used to generate defects and the second beam (near-IR laser) is used to photodesorb the ions. Such experiments demonstrate that exposure of the sodium nitrate surfaces to UV laser radiation significantly increases the ion emission due to near-IR laser radiation. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.

OSTI ID:
20215177
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 87, Issue 3; Other Information: PBD: 1 Feb 2000; ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English