Electron impact ionization cross-sections of plasma relevant and astrophysical silicon compounds: SiH 4, Si 2H 6, Si(CH 3) 4, SiO, SiO 2, SiN and SiS

Abstract

Total cross-sections (TCSs) for collisions of electrons having energies from ∼10 to 2000 eV are calculated for atomic silicon and its compounds SiH 4, Si 2H 6, Si(CH 3) 4, SiO, SiO 2, SiN and SiS, important in plasma and astrophysical applications. In each case total inelastic cross-sections are determined in the complex potential formalism and are partitioned into discrete and continuum excitation contributions in order to derive total ionization cross-sections. The present total (complete) cross-sections and total ionization cross-sections are found to be in a good general agreement with the previous data available for Si, SiH 4, Si 2H 6 and Si(CH 3) 4. This paper also reports the first theoretical ionization cross-sections for new targets SiO, SiO 2, SiN, and SiS for which almost no work of this kind has appeared in literature so far.