<title>Computer simulation of photoelectron decay process of silver halide microcrystals</title>

Abstract

Photoelectron plays an important role in latent image formation in silver halide materials, and its decay process is connected with the photographic process. Therefore, more details about the photoelectron decay behavior are needed in order to improve the photographic efficiency of imaging materials. In this paper, we use a single computer to simulate the photoelectron decay process in AgC1 microcrystals doped with [Fe(CN)6]4- that acts as shallow electron traps (SETs). First, we propose a model, which consists of a [Fe(CN)6]4- related SETs and intrinsic centers of pure AgC1 including two types of electron traps and a recombination center, where first a hole is trapped that then combines with a free photoelectron. The model results in a set of differential equations that describe the kinetics of generation, trapping, thermal detrapping and recombination processes. The decay process of the photoelectrons is simulated through solving these differential equations. In this simulation, the photoelectron decay curves, which fit well with experimental results, can be obtained quickly and accurately. With the aid of the simulation, the decay curves of the free photoelectron and the shallow-trapped electron are obtained accurately. A number of important conclusions about the SETs were drawn from the simulation study.