On the mechanism of the emission of high-energy electrons from the surfaces of freshly peeled films: Polytetrafluoroethylene

Abstract

This paper describes the results of an investigation of high-electron emission accompanying the mechanical disruption of adhesive contact in vacuo. Investigations of such emission parameters as the energy of the electrons, their angular distribution, depth of the electron capture center levels on freshly formed polymer surfaces responsible for the emission as well as the establishment of relations governing the time variation of the parameters of the emitted electrons' flux, their relation to the polymer film surface charge, and finally the numerical computations based on these experiments have led the authors to the conclusion that the mechanism of electron emission from freshly formed polymer film surfaces has a field-emission nature proceeding from surface states and is described accurately enough by the analytical expressions derived from the above considerations.