Negative ions, energy loss, and electron emission during grazing scattering of fast H and He atoms from a clean and oxidized NiAl(1 1 0) surface

Abstract

Negative ion fractions, projectile energy loss, and the emission of electrons is studied for grazing scattering of hydrogen and helium atoms/ions from a clean and oxidized NiAl(1 1 0) surface. Making use of translation energy spectroscopy and the coincident detection of the number of emitted electrons we have studied the electronic interaction mechanisms for the change from a clean metal target to an insulator surface via the preparation of a well defined ultrathin alumina film on top of the metal substrate. We find that already for a monolayer thick oxide film the characteristic different features of electronic processes for the surface of an insulator crystal are present.