Abstract
It is shown, by considering relevant theory, that the inelastic energy ΔEe transferred to sputtered atoms should have a similar distribution dN/d(ΔEe) to that transferred in medium-energy (≳100 eV) electron–atom collisions: dN/d(ΔEe)∝1/(ΔEe)2. The correctness of this proposition is demonstrated by comparing the relative populations of excited atoms and ions (Al i, Al ii, Al iii) formed by bombarding solid Al with 30 keV Ar+ with those formed by bombarding gaseous Al with energetic electrons, and at the same time comparing both populations with a statistical theory based on the 1/(ΔEe)2 distribution. From the point of view of plasma analysis, this means that the recently developed theory of excited-state formation in sputtering can be extended without alteration to that component of plasmas due to medium-energy, electron–atom collisions.
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