Secondary electron emission and photoemission from a negative electron affinity semiconductor with large mean escape depth of excited electrons

The formulae for parameters of a negative electron affinity semiconductor(NEAS)with large mean escape depth of secondary electrons A(NEASLD)are deduced.The methods for obtaining parameters such asλ,B,E_(pom)and the maximumδandδat 100.0 keV≥E_(po)≥1.0 keV of a NEASLD with the deduced formulae are presented(B is the probability that an internal secondary electron escapes into the vacuum upon reaching the emission surface of the emitter,δis the secondary electron yield,E_(po)is the incident energy of primary electrons and E_(pom)is the E_(po)corresponding to the maximumδ).The parameters obtained here are analyzed,and it can be concluded that several parameters of NEASLDs obtained by the methods presented here agree with those obtained by other authors.The relation between the secondary electron emission and photoemission from a NEAS with large mean escape depth of excited electrons is investigated,and it is concluded that the presented method of obtaining A is more accurate than that of obtaining the corresponding parameter for a NEAS with largeλ_(ph)(λ_(ph)being the mean escape depth of photoelectrons),and that the presented method of calculating B at E_(po)>10.0 keV is more widely applicable for obtaining the corresponding parameters for a NEAS with largeλ_(ph).

Secondary electron emission model for photo-emission from metals in the vacuum ultraviolet

This study investigates two secondary electron emission(SEE)models for photoelectric energy distribution curves f(E_(ph),hγ),B,E_(mean),absolute quantum efficiency(AQE),and the mean escape depth of photo-emitted electronsλof metals.The proposed models are developed from the density of states and the theories of photo-emission in the vacuum ultraviolet and SEE,where B is the mean probability that an internal photo-emitted electron escapes into vacuum upon reaching the emission surface of the metal,and E_(mean)is the mean energy of photo-emitted electrons measured from vacuum.The formulas for f(E_(ph),hγ),B,λ,E_(mean),and AQE that were obtained were shown to be correct for the cases of Au at hγ=8.1–11.6 eV,Ni at hγ=9.2–11.6 eV,and Cu at hγ=7.7–11.6 eV.The photoelectric cross sections(PCS)calculated here are analyzed,and it was confirmed that the calculated PCS of the electrons in the conduction band of Au at hγ=8.1–11.6eV,Ni at hγ=9.2–11.6 eV,and Cu at hγ=7.7–11.6 eV are correct.

A novel double dielectric barrier discharge reactor with high field emission and secondary electron emission for toluene abatement

Dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)has been extensively investigated in the fields of environment and energy,whereas its practical implementation is still limited due to its unsatisfactory energy efficiency.In order to improve the energy efficiency of DBD,a novel double dielectric barrier discharge(NDDBD)reactor with high field emission and secondary electron emission was developed and compared with traditional DDBD(TDDBD)configuration.Firstly,the discharge characteristics of the two DDBD reactors were analyzed.Compared to TDDBD,the NDDBD reactor exhibited much stronger discharge intensity,higher transferred charge,dissipated power and gas temperature due to the effective utilization of cathode field emission and secondary electron emission.Subsequently,toluene abatement performance of the two reactors was evaluated.The toluene decomposition efficiency and mineralization rate of NDDBD were much higher than that of TDDBD,which were 86.44%-100%versus 28.17%-80.48%and 17.16%-43.42%versus 7.17%-16.44%at 2.17-15.12 W and 1.24-4.90 W respectively.NDDBD also exhibited higher energy yield than TDDBD,whereas the overall energy constant k_(overall)of the two reactors were similar.Finally,plausible toluene decomposition pathway in TDDBD and NDDBD was suggested based on organic intermediates that generated from toluene degradation.The finding of this study is expected to provide reference for the design and optimization of DBD reactor for volatile organic compounds control and other applications.

Secondary electron emission yield from vertical graphene nanosheets by helicon plasma deposition

The secondary electron emission yields of materials depend on the geometries of their surface structures.In this paper,a method of depositing vertical graphene nanosheet(VGN)on the surface of the material is proposed,and the secondary electron emission(SEE)characteristics for the VGN structure are studied.The COMSOL simulation and the scanning electron microscope(SEM)image analysis are carried out to study the secondary electron yield(SEY).The effect of aspect ratio and packing density of VGN on SEY under normal incident condition are studied.The results show that the VGN structure has a good effect on suppressing SEE.

Analysis of secondary electron emission using the fractal method

Based on the rough surface topography with fractal parameters and the Monte–Carlo simulation method for secondary electron emission properties, we analyze the secondary electron yield(SEY) of a metal with rough surface topography. The results show that when the characteristic length scale of the surface, G, is larger than 1 × 10^(-7), the surface roughness increases with the increasing fractal dimension D. When the surface roughness becomes larger, it is difficult for entered electrons to escape surface. As a result, more electrons are collected and then SEY decreases. When G is less than 1 × 10^(-7),the effect of the surface topography can be ignored, and the SEY almost has no change as the dimension D increases. Then,the multipactor thresholds of a C-band rectangular impedance transfer and an ultrahigh-frequency-band coaxial impedance transfer are predicted by the relationship between the SEY and the fractal parameters. It is verified that for practical microwave devices, the larger the parameter G is, the higher the multipactor threshold is. Also, the larger the value of D,the higher the multipactor threshold.

Characteristics of secondary electron emission from few layer graphene on silicon(111) surface

As a typical two-dimensional(2D) coating material, graphene has been utilized to effectively reduce secondary electron emission from the surface. Nevertheless, the microscopic mechanism and the dominant factor of secondary electron emission suppression remain controversial. Since traditional models rely on the data of experimental bulk properties which are scarcely appropriate to the 2D coating situation, this paper presents the first-principles-based numerical calculations of the electron interaction and emission process for monolayer and multilayer graphene on silicon(111) substrate. By using the anisotropic energy loss for the coating graphene, the electron transport process can be described more realistically. The real physical electron interactions, including the elastic scattering of electron-nucleus, inelastic scattering of the electron-extranuclear electron, and electron-phonon effect, are considered and calculated by using the Monte Carlo method. The energy level transition theory-based first-principles method and the full Penn algorithm are used to calculate the energy loss function during the inelastic scattering. Variations of the energy loss function and interface electron density differences for 1 to 4 layer graphene coating Go Si are calculated, and their inner electron distributions and secondary electron emissions are analyzed. Simulation results demonstrate that the dominant factor of the inhibiting of secondary electron yield(SEY) of Go Si is to induce the deeper electrons in the internal scattering process. In contrast, a low surface potential barrier due to the positive deviation of electron density difference at monolayer Go Si interface in turn weakens the suppression of secondary electron emission of the graphene layer. Only when the graphene layer number is 3, does the contribution of surface work function to the secondary electron emission suppression appear to be slightly positive.

Effect of Electron and/or Ion Nonthermality on Dust Acoustic Wave Propagation in a Complex Plasma in Presence of Positively Charged Dust Grains Generated by Secondary Electron Emission Process

In this paper we have developed a model to study the role of both electron and ion nonthermalities on dust acoustic wave propagation in a complex plasma in presence of positively charged dust grains. Secondary electron emission from dust grains has been considered as the source of positive dust charging. As secondary emission current depends on the flux of primary electrons, nonthermality of primary electrons changes the expression of secondary emission current from that of earlier work where primary electrons were thermal. Expression of nonthermal electron current flowing to the positively charged dust grains and consequently the expression of secondary electron current flowing out of the dust grains have been first time calculated in this paper, whereas the expression for nonthermal ion current flowing to the positively charged dust grains is present in existing literature. Dispersion relation of dust acoustic wave has been derived. From this dispersion relation real frequency and growth rate of the wave have been calculated. Results have been plotted for different strength of nonthermalities of electrons and ions.

A refined Monte Carlo code for low-energy electron emission from gold material irradiated with sub-keV electrons

Considering the significance of low-energy electrons(LEEs;0–20 eV) in radiobiology, the sensitization potential of gold nanoparticles(AuNPs) as high-flux LEE emitters when irradiated with sub-keV electrons has been suggested. In this study, a track-structure Monte Carlo simulation code using the dielectric theory was developed to simulate the transport of electrons below 50 keV in gold. In this code, modifications, particularly for elastic scattering, are implemented for a more precise description of the LEE emission in secondary electron emission. This code was validated using the secondary electron yield and backscattering coefficient. To ensure dosimetry accuracy, we further verified the code for energy deposition calculations using the Monte Carlo toolkit, Geant4. The development of this code provides a basis for future studies regarding the role of AuNPs in targeted radionuclide radiotherapy.

Impact of exterior electron emission on the self-sustaining margin of hollow cathode discharge

Hollow cathode researches used to focus on the inner cavity or downstream plume,however,rarely on the gap between the throttling orifice plate and the keeper plate(T-K gap),which was found to impact the self-sustaining margin of hollow cathode discharge in this paper.Near the lower margin,the main power deposition and electron emission and ionization regions would migrate from inner cavity and downstream plume to the T-K gap,in which case,the source and destination of each m A current therein matter for the self-sustaining capability.Changing the metal surfaces in the T-K gap with emissive materials proved effective in lowering the lower margin by supplementing auxiliary thermionic emission,compensating electron loss on cold absorbing walls and suppressing discharge oscillations.By doing so,the lower margin of a 4 A hollow cathode was lowered from 1 to 0.1-0.2 A,enabling it to couple with low power Hall thruster without extra keeper current.

On the electron sheath theory and its applications in plasma–surface interactions

In this work,an improved understanding of electron sheath theory is provided using both fluid and kinetic approaches while elaborating on their implications for plasma–surface interactions.A fluid model is proposed considering the electron presheath structure,avoiding the singularity in electron sheath Child–Langmuir law which overestimates the sheath potential.Subsequently,a kinetic model of electron sheath is established,showing considerably different sheath proflles in respect to the fluid model due to non-Maxwellian electron velocity distribution function and flnite ion temperature.The kinetic model is then further generalized and involves a more realistic truncated ion velocity distribution function.It is demonstrated that such a distribution function yields a super-thermal electron sheath whose entering velocity at the sheath edge is greater than the Bohm criterion prediction.Furthermore,an attempt is made to describe the electron presheath–sheath coupling within the kinetic framework,showing a necessary compromise between a realistic sheath entrance and the inclusion of kinetic effects.Finally,the secondary electron emissions induced by sheath-accelerated plasma electrons in an electron sheath are analysed and the influence of backscattering is discussed.

Realization of homogeneous dielectric barrier discharge in atmospheric pressure argon and the effect of beads on its characteristics

This paper describes the realization of a homogeneous dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)in argon at atmospheric pressure.The effect of the morphology of the dielectric surface(especially the dielectric surface covered by hollow ceramic beads(99%Al_(2)O_(3))with different diameters)on discharge is investigated.With different dielectrics,the argon DBD presents two discharge modes:a filamentary mode and a homogeneous mode.Fast photography shows that the filamentary mode operates in a streamer discharge,and the homogeneous mode operates in a Townsend discharge regime.It is found that a homogeneous discharge can be generated within a certain voltage range.The voltage amplitude range decreases,and the breakdown voltage increases with the increase in the mean diameter of the ceramic beads.Waveforms of the total current and optical emission signal present stochastic pulses per half voltage cycle for the filamentary mode,whereas there is one single hump per half voltage cycle for the homogeneous mode.In the homogeneous mode,the intensity of the optical emission decreases with the mean diameter of the ceramic beads.The optical emission spectrum is mainly composed of atomic lines of argon and the second positive system of molecular nitrogen.It reveals that the electron density decreases with the increasing mean diameter of the ceramic beads.The vibrational temperature increases with the increasing mean diameter of the ceramic beads.It is believed that a large number of microdischarges are formed,and smaller ceramic beads have a larger activation surface area and more point discharge.Electrons liberated in the shallow well and electrons generated from microdischarges can increase the secondary electron emission coefficient of the cathode and provide initial electrons for discharge continuously.Therefore,the breakdown electric field is reduced,which contributes to easier generation of homogeneous discharge.This is confirmed by the simulation results.

Study on the characteristics of non-Maxwellian magnetized sheath in Hall thruster acceleration region

The secondary electron emission(SEE) and inclined magnetic field are typical features at the channel wall of the Hall thruster acceleration region(AR), and the characteristics of the magnetized sheath have a significant effect on the radial potential distribution, ion radial acceleration and wall erosion. In this work, the magnetohydrodynamics model is used to study the characteristics of the magnetized sheath with SEE in the AR of Hall thruster. The electrons are assumed to obey non-extensive distribution, the ions and secondary electrons are magnetized.Based on the Sagdeev potential, the modified Bohm criterion is derived, and the influences of the non-extensive parameter and magnetic field on the AR sheath structure and parameters are discussed. Results show that, with the decrease of the parameter q, the high-energy electron leads to an increase of the potential drop in the sheath, and the sheath thickness expands accordingly,the kinetic energy rises when ions reach the wall, which can aggravate the wall erosion.Increasing the magnetic field inclination angle in the AR of the Hall thruster, the Lorenz force along the x direction acting as a resistance decelerating ions becomes larger which can reduce the wall erosion, while the strength of magnetic field in the AR has little effect on Bohm criterion and wall potential. The propellant type also has a certain effect on the values of wall potential,secondary electron number density and sheath thickness.

Influence of Surface Carburization of Machinable Ceramics on Its Pulsed Flashover Characteristics in Vacuum

For pulsed power devices,surface flashover phenomena across solid insulators greatly restrict their overall performance.In recent decades,much attention has been paid on enhancing the surface electric withstanding strength of insulators,and it is found that surface treatment of material is useful to improve the surface flashover voltage.The carburization treatment is employed to modify the surface components of newly-developed machinable ceramics(MC) materials. A series of MC samples with different glucose solution concentration(0%,10%,20%,30% and 40%) are prepared by chemical reactions for surface carburization modification,and their surface flashover characteristics are investigated under pulsed voltage in vacuum.It is found that the surface carburization treatment greatly modifies the surface resistivity of MCs and hence the flashover behaviors.Based on the reduction of surface resistivity and the secondary electron emission avalanche(SEEA) theory,the adjustment of flashover withstanding ability can be reasonably explained.