Field emission energy distribution study of laser-induced thermal effects

Abstract

Laser-induced thermal effects on various surfaces of tungsten and molybdenum have been studied using field emitted electrons. Energy distributions measured by a dispersive electron energy analyzer allow the temperature increase of a laser-illuminated surface to be determined to within ±10 K. In addition to estimating the temperature rise, an analysis of the data also shows a sensitivity to small temperature-induced variations in the work function Φ. Fits to experimental data indicate that changes in Φ of a laser-illuminated surface can be estimated to within ±2 meV. The technique has been used to study W(100) surface reconstruction.