Electron interactions with tetramethylsilane from the ionization threshold up to 5000 eV

Abstract

The electron impact cross sections are reported for tetramethylsilane from the ionization threshold up to 5000 eV. The partial ionization cross sections (PICS) of the fragments created by ionization are obtained using a modified form of the binary-encounter Bethe (BEB) model. These fragments have a mass to charge ratio (m/z) ranging from 15 to 88. In the modified-BEB approach, the binding energy of each molecular fragment is increased in such a way that the last occupied orbital reflects the appearance potential of a particular fragment. The total ionization cross sections obtained after summing the PICS are in very good agreement with the experimental results. Additionally, the cross sections such as differential, integral and momentum transfer are also reported. These are computed within the local potential approximation and invoking single centre expansion formalism. The total cross sections are obtained by incoherently summing the elastic and inelastic cross sections. The present scattering results are in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements. The modified-BEB model will be an immense help in understanding the effect of ionization on fragments.