On the velocity distribution of excited Fe-atoms by sputtering of iron

Abstract

From the velocity distribution of excited sputtered particles detailed information on the excitation process can be obtained. In the present paper the first direct measurement of velocity distribution of excited atoms sputtered from a metal target is presented. The irradiation of the Fe-target was performed with 10keV Ar+-ions. The sputtered atoms were detected using pulsed laser induced fluorescence (LIF). The sputtered Fe atoms in the metastable statea5F5 at 0.86 eV shows a much broader distribution, than found for the ground-state atoms, but no energy threshold, implied in the statistical excitation models, was found.