Abstract
The interaction of oxygen with photocathode materials based on alkali antimonide at room temperature has been studied by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In the first step, the antimonide is oxidized, forming alkali suboxide, (Cs11O3) and elemental Sb (Sb0) is segregated. Further oxidation (>20 L) causes the formation of an alkali oxide overlayer (i.e., Cs2O) and the oxidation of the elemental Sb to form Sb5+ species. The kinetics of oxidation has been found to be much faster than the logarithmic rate due to strong diffusion of alkali ions toward the surface. The in-depth distribution of alkali oxides for exposures larger than 20 L is the opposite of that which produces a good photoemissive surface (Cs11O3/semiconductor). However, slight oxidation (<20 L) improves the spectral response of the photocathode. A Cs suboxide overlayer (one-cluster size) has been proposed as the optimum activation surface.
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