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Thermodynamic investigation of an insulator irradiated by a low-energy electron beam

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Abstract.

The surface of an insulating material irradiated by a beam of low energy electrons charges positively if the yield of secondary electron is greater than unity. For such a dynamical equilibrium, the thermodynamic properties have been investigated by measuring the surface potential in response to a temperature oscillation of the material. It is shown that an oscillation amplitude of 0.4 K at 530 K induces an oscillation of the surface potential of about 0.5 volts. The frequency dependence indicates a monotonous decrease in the response with decreasing frequency, extrapolating to zero at zero frequency. We propose that this modification of the surface charge is driven by the temperature dependence of a gas of charged particles in equilibrium with the vacuum level.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS UMR 8502, Bât. 510, 91405, Orsay Cedex, France

    F. Pesty & P. Garoche

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  1. F. Pesty
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  2. P. Garoche
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Correspondence to F. Pesty.

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Pesty, F., Garoche, P. Thermodynamic investigation of an insulator irradiated by a low-energy electron beam. Eur. Phys. J. B 48, 125–128 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2005-00381-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2005-00381-2

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