Metastable excitation of sputtered silver atoms

Journal Article · Wed Jan 15 04:00:00 EST 1997 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.52141· OSTI ID:21165662

Wucher, A; Berthold, W ^[1]

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1. Fachbereich Physik, Universitaet Kaiserslautern, 67653 Kaiserslautern (Germany)

Neutral atoms sputtered from a polycrystalline silver surface under bombardment with 15 keV Ar{sup +} ions were investigated by resonant multiphoton ionization in combination with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Electronically excited Ag atoms ejected in the metastable 4d{sup 9}5s{sup 2} {sup 2}D{sub 5/2} state (excitation energy 3.75 eV) were ionized by a frequency doubled tunable dye laser using a resonant single photon transition into the autoionizing 4d{sup 9}5s({sup 3}D)5p {sup 2}D{sub 5/2} state. Ground state silver atoms were detected by means of a resonant two photon ionization scheme involving the intermediate 4d{sup 10}({sup 1}S)5p {sup 2}P{sup 0} state. Both two and one color schemes were employed, the latter working via resonant excitation of Rydberg states and subsequent field ionization. The total population as well as the velocity distribution of sputtered metastable and ground state atoms were determined from the saturation behavior of the photoionization process and the flight time of the ejected neutral species between the ion bombarded surface and the ionization volume.

• OSTI ID: 21165662
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 388; ISSN 0094-243X; ISSN APCPCS
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ARGON IONS
ATOMS
EV RANGE
EXCITATION
GROUND STATES
ION-ATOM COLLISIONS
KEV RANGE
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
METASTABLE STATES
MULTI-PHOTON PROCESSES
PHOTOIONIZATION
POLYCRYSTALS
RESONANCE
RYDBERG STATES
SILVER
SPUTTERING
SURFACES
TIME-OF-FLIGHT METHOD