Secondary Electron Yield Research Articles

Decay of secondary electron yield of MgO–Au composite film at different incident electron energies

The relationship between the incident electron energy and secondary electron yield (SEY) decay of MgO–Au composite film was investigated by the designed comparison experiments. Besides the incident current and the properties of the film, the SEY value and the incident electron energy were found to be the other two key factors affecting the SEY decay rate. The value of SEY and the incident electron energy have opposite influences on the SEY decay rate, which makes it necessary to analyze the curve of incident electron energy versus SEY decay rate by dividing it into three parts. In addition, the empirical formulas for SEY decay were derived from experimental data, enabling the estimation of the SEY and decay rate of the MgO–Au composite film at any moment during SEY decay. Furthermore, the cause of SEY decay was also analyzed based on the relationship between incident electron energy and the SEY decay rate. The thermal dissipation, surface roughness, and deposition of contaminants were proven not to be the determinants of SEY decay. The experiment results in this paper supported the inference that the charging effect was the primary cause of SEY decay.

Comprehensive analysis of beryllium content influence on secondary electron yield in Cu[sbnd]Be alloys

This study examines the impact of varying Be contents on the evolution of secondary electron emission (SEE) properties. Through microscopic characterization of the microstructure before and after activation, it was determined that the phase composition was α(Cu) phase and eutectic structure (α(Cu) + γ). The findings indicate that as the Be content increased from 2.8 wt% to 3.8 wt%, the proportion of heterogeneous structures increased and the distribution became more uniform. Meanwhile, the number of heterogeneous structure interfaces between α(Cu) phase and γ phase increased, and there were a large number of mismatch dislocations at the interfaces, which served as short-circuit diffusion paths for Be elements. Be elements were more easily able to diffuse outward through the interface to form a uniform BeO film, thereby increasing secondary electron yield (SEY). In addition, the density of mismatch dislocations near the interface was high, promoting the formation of grain boundaries, which provided more diffusion pathways, allowing Be elements to diffuse outward more easily, thereby generating a uniform BeO film with increased SEY. This study holds significant implications for augmenting the SEY of CuBe dynode electrodes used in photomultiplier tubes (PMTs).

New experimental methodology for determining the second crossover energy in insulators under stationary e-irradiation in a SEM

A new experimental methodology is proposed which uses the electrostatic influence method (EIM) in scanning electron microscope (SEM) in order to estimate the second crossover energy EC2 for uncharged insulators. This experimental methodology based on simultaneous time measurement of the displacement and leakage currents, is approached to the short pulse irradiation technique but under stationary e-irradiation and allows determining the intrinsic secondary electron emission yield, σ0 (σ0 is the value of the total secondary electron yield just at the beginning of the irradiation before significant charge accumulation or before the formation of a surface potential). The obtained value of EC2 for soda-lime glass is confirmed by two additional experiments based on secondary electron imaging. This value is in good agreement with those previously obtained by other studies based on the surface potential measurement or the pulsed irradiation technique.

Secondary electron yield of air-exposed ALD-Al2O3 coating on Ag-plated aluminum alloy

Abstract Secondary electron yield (SEY) of air-exposed metals tends to be increased because of air-formed oxide, hydrocarbon, and other contaminants. This enhances the possibility of secondary electron multipacting in high-power microwave systems, resulting in undesirable occurrence of discharge damage. Al2O3 coatings have been utilized as passive and protective layers on device packages to provide good environmental stability. We employed atomic layer deposition (ALD) to produce a series of uniform Al2O3 coatings with appropriate thickness on Ag-plated aluminum alloy. The secondary electron emission characteristics and their variations during air exposure were observed. The escape depth of secondary electron needs to exceed the coating thickness to some extent in order to demonstrate SEY of metallic substrates. Based on experimental and calculated results, the maximum SEY of Ag-plated aluminum alloy had been maintained at 2.45 over 90 days of exposure without obvious degradation by applying 1 nm Al2O3 coatings. In comparison, the peak SEY of untreated Ag-plated aluminum alloy grew from an initial 2.33 to 2.53, exceeding that of the 1 nm Al2O3 sample. The ultra-thin ALD-Al2O3 coating substantially enhanced the SEY stability of metal materials, with good implications for the environmental dependability of spacecraft microwave components.

Charging and Mobilization of Dust Particles on a Surface in Plasma.

We present first experimental results showing that single dust particles on a dielectric surface are mobilized and lofted due to exposure to an electron beam or ultraviolet radiation. It is shown that secondary electrons and/or photoelectrons emitted from a substrate surface are recollected on the surfaces within microcavities between a dust particle and the substrate surface, resulting in large negative charges and subsequently causing mobilization of the dust particle due to Coulomb repulsion. Dust mobility tested against the electron beam energy is shown to follow the secondary electron yield curve of the substrate surface in both the experimental and modeling results. The results verified the role of emitted electrons from the substrate surface in charging and mobilization of single dust particles.

Laser scanning patterns induced surface properties variations of Ti-V-Hf-Zr non-evaporable getter film with 316L stainless steel substrates

The effects of laser treatment scanning patterns on the properties of Ti-V-Hf-Zr non-evaporable getter (NEG) film on 316L stainless steel (316L SS) substrates were analyzed. 316L SS substrates were laser-treated with different patterns, which resulted in spherical structure and protrusions on the surface of the substrates. Subsequently, Ti-V-Hf-Zr NEG films were deposited on ultrasonically cleaned laser-treated 316L SS by a direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering machine. Based on the XPS results of Ti-V-Hf-Zr, it has been revealed that the atomic proportions of film elements on the surface of samples #1-1∼#3–1 were about 2.2 (Ti):1.7 (Zr):0.9 (V):1.0 (Hf). In this paper, the Ar+-induced secondary electron yield (SEY) and surface resistivity of Ti-V-Hf-Zr NEG are discussed for the first time, and it has been observed that the laser treatment leads to an increase of the substrate surface roughness, which decreases the SEY and increases the surface resistivity.

Secondary electron yield reduction of 316L stainless steel prepared by selective laser melting and surface remelting for electron cloud inhibition

Secondary emission (SE) can influence the performance of microwave devices, particle accelerators, etc. Particularly, secondary emission resulting in the formation of electron cloud effect in accelerators can induce various effects, such as the reduction of beam quality, beam lifetime and detector sensitivity. Reducing the Secondary electron yield (SEY) of material surfaces is very important for the inhibition of electron cloud in accelerators. A novel method based on selective laser melting (SLM) and surface remelting is initially proposed in this paper to process metallic materials with low SEY. As a commonly used material in accelerators vacuum pipes, 316 L stainless steel was manufactured by SLM to form surface morphologies with low SEY. The maximum SEY of as-received SLM fabricated and surface remelted SLM fabricated 316L stainless steel are 1.39 and 1.14 (the lowest one in this paper), respectively. On the other hand, the surface resistivities of as-received SLM fabricated (1.371 μΩ m) and surface remelted SLM fabricated 316L stainless steel (0.893–1.536 μΩ m) are higher than cast 316L stainless steel (0.78 μΩ m), which is mainly attributed to their higher surface roughness.

Radiosensitization with metallic nanoparticles under MeV proton beams: local dose enhancement.

In addition to specific dosimetric properties of protons, their higher biological effectiveness makes them superior to X-rays and gamma radiation, in radiation therapy. In recent years, enrichment of tumours with metallic nanoparticles as radiosensitizer agents has generated high interest, with several studies attempting to confirm the efficacy of nanoparticles in proton therapy. In the present study Geant4 Monte Carlo (MC) code was used to quantify the increased nanoscopic dose deposition of 50nm metallic nanoparticles including gold, bismuth, iridium, and gadolinium in water upon exposure to 5, 25, and 50MeV protons. Dose enhancement factors, radial dose distributions in nano-scale, as well as secondary electron and photon energy spectra were calculated for the studied nanoparticles and proton beams. The obtained results demonstrated that in the presence of metallic nanoparticles an increase in proton energy leads to a decrease in secondary electron and photon production yield. Additionally, an increase in the radial dose enhancement factor from 1.4 to 16 was calculated for the studied nanoparticles when the proton energy was increased from 5 to 50MeV. It is concluded that the dosimetric advantages of proton beams could be improved significantly in the presence of metallic nanoparticles.

Multipactor analysis of 431 MHz L-shaped inductive output tube cavity

Gridless inductive output tubes (IOTs) offer compact size and high-power amplification at sub-GHz frequencies. Minimizing cavity dimensions in the interest of compactness leads to smaller gaps, which may cause multipactor discharge under high-power operating conditions. The uncontrolled electron growth resulting from multipactor breakdown can lead to undesired effects including surface damage and system failure. This paper performs a parallel-plate multipactor analysis for a high-Q, L-shaped, aluminum, 431 MHz cavity designed for a gridless IOT to be operated in the MW-power regime. The cavity gap is 27 mm, and diameter is 339 mm. Multipactor susceptibility regions are calculated for non-zero emission energy, half-cycle, and non-half-cycle multipactor using a semi-analytic approach and a standard aluminum secondary electron yield (SEY) curve. The analytical results are validated with particle-in-cell simulation in CST Studio. Simulation results show a voltage range of 6.4–19 kV, compared to the analytically calculated values of 8.2 and 18.3 kV for the lower and upper bounds, respectively. Fluorocarbon coating as a means to reduce secondary electron emission is simulated, which shows 46% reduction in peak particle population with an 11.2 nm PTFE coating, with further reduction as coating thickness increases. The results show that the L-shaped cavity is a suitable choice for this IOT design as it does not exhibit single-surface multipactor and will not develop two-surface multipactor at full-power operation.

Suppression of Secondary Electron Emission by Vertical Graphene Coating on Ni Microcavity Substrate.

Suppression of secondary electron emission (SEE) from metal surfaces is crucial for enhancing the performance of particle accelerators, spacecraft, and vacuum electronic devices. Earlier research has demonstrated that either etching the metal surface to create undulating structures or coating it with materials having low secondary electron yield (SEY) can markedly decrease SEE. However, the effectiveness of growing vertical graphene (VG) on laser-etched metal surfaces in suppressing SEE remains uncertain. This study examined the collective impact of these methods by applying nanoscale arrays of VG coating using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on Ni substrates, along with the formation of micrometer-sized microcavity array through laser etching. Comparative tests conducted revealed that the SEY of the samples subjected to VG coating on a microcavity array was lower compared to samples with either only a microcavity array or VG coating alone. Additionally, the crystallinity of VG grown on substrates of varying shapes exhibited variations. This study presents a new method for investigating the suppression of SEE on metal surfaces, contributing to the existing body of knowledge in this field.

Shot noise-mitigated secondary electron imaging with ion count-aided microscopy

Modern science is dependent on imaging on the nanoscale, often achieved through processes that detect secondary electrons created by a highly focused incident charged particle beam. Multiple types of measurement noise limit the ultimate trade-off between the image quality and the incident particle dose, which can preclude useful imaging of dose-sensitive samples. Existing methods to improve image quality do not fundamentally mitigate the noise sources. Furthermore, barriers to assigning a physically meaningful scale make the images qualitative. Here, we introduce ion count-aided microscopy (ICAM), which is a quantitative imaging technique that uses statistically principled estimation of the secondary electron yield. With a readily implemented change in data collection, ICAM substantially reduces source shot noise. In helium ion microscopy, we demonstrate 3[Formula: see text] dose reduction and a good match between these empirical results and theoretical performance predictions. ICAM facilitates imaging of fragile samples and may make imaging with heavier particles more attractive.

Modelling laser modified secondary electron yield response of surfaces

Electron clouds hinder the operation of particle accelerators. In the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the copper beam screens are located within close proximity to the beam path, resulting in beam-induced electron multipacting, which is the main source of electron cloud formation. Conditions for multipacting are encountered when such surfaces have a secondary electron yield (SEY) greater than unity. Roughening the surface through laser processing offers an effective solution for reducing secondary electrons. Laser ablation leaves behind a complex rough, multi-scale geometrical surface with an altered chemical composition. Current models often over-simplify the geometry, do not have sufficient experimental data to derive input parameters, and exclude SEY-reducing mechanisms such as the surface chemistry. Leading to electron-matter interactions which do not resemble that of a real surface. Here, this complex surface is studied on copper used in the LHC, and the influence of microgeometry, inhomogeneous nanostructure and complex surface chemistry on the SEY is investigated. A novel, improved model is proposed that characterises these sophisticated structures, enabling the efficient design of surfaces to reduce SEY. To validate the model, samples were made using a variety of laser parameters. Modelling insights revealed that secondary electron suppression is not only caused by the microgeometry but also the nanostructure and chemical modification play a role. Contrary to the conventional theory, high aspect ratio structures are not necessarily required for effective SEY reduction. Currently, the model is applicable to a variety of surface morphologies and could be employed for other materials.

The grain agglomeration in the decay of secondary electron yield induced by electrons

In this work, the box-and-grid electron multiplier (EM) operating under specific conditions for 120 h was disassembled. The secondary electron yield (SEY) and the surface morphology of the decayed film from dynodes of EM were tested. It was demonstrated that the SEY decay was linked to the change of grain size in the film. The more severe the film’s decay, the larger the grain size in the decayed film. The results of the Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) indicated that the increase in grain size was not the introduction of impurities but the grain agglomeration. The grain agglomeration will increase the incident depth of the primary electrons and decrease the range of escapable angles for emitted electrons, which is the mechanism of SEY reduction caused by grain agglomeration. Furthermore, the cause of grain agglomeration was explained by the thermal effect on the surface and the electrostatic attraction between grains.

Investigation on activation characterization, secondary electron yield, and surface resistance of novel quinary alloy Ti–Zr–V–Hf–Cu non-evaporable getters

The performance of next-generation particle accelerators has been adversely affected by the occurrence of electron multipacting and vacuum instabilities. Particularly, minimization of secondary electron emission (SEE) and reduction of surface resistance are two critical issues to prevent some of the phenomena such as beam instability, reduction of beam lifetime, and residual gas ionization, all of which occur as a result of these adverse effects in next-generation particle accelerators. For the first time, novel quinary alloy Ti–Zr–V–Hf–Cu non-evaporable getter (NEG) films were prepared on stainless steel substrates by using the direct current magnetron sputtering technique to reduce surface resistance and SEE yield with an efficient pumping performance. Based on the experimental findings, the surface resistance of the quinary Ti–Zr–V–Hf–Cu NEG films was established to be 6.6 × 10−7 Ω m for sample no. 1, 6.4 × 10−7 Ω m for sample no. 2, and 6.2 × 10−7 Ω m for sample no. 3. The δmax measurements recorded for Ti–Zr–V–Hf–Cu NEG films are 1.33 for sample no. 1, 1.34 for sample no. 2, and 1.35 for sample no. 3. Upon heating the Ti–Zr–V–Hf–Cu NEG film to 150 °C, the XPS spectra results indicated that there are significant changes in the chemical states of its constituent metals, Ti, Zr, V, Hf, and Cu, and these chemical state changes continued with heating at 180 °C. This implies that upon heating at 150 °C, the Ti–Zr–V–Hf–Cu NEG film becomes activated, showing that novel quinary NEG films can be effectively employed as getter pumps for generating ultra-high vacuum conditions.

Secondary roughness effect of surface microstructures on secondary electron emission and multipactor threshold for PTFE-filled and PI-filled single ridge waveguides

Secondary electron yield (SEY) is a dominant factor in determining the multipactor threshold. In this study, we analyzed the secondary roughness effect of surface microstructures for plastic dielectric on SEY reduction and multipactor mitigation. A single ridge waveguide (SRW) operating in Ku-band, filled with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or polyimide (PI), was designed with a dielectric–metal multipactor gap. By employing a femtosecond laser, periodic microstructures were fabricated on PTFE and PI surfaces to suppress SEY. The SEY peak values of PTFE and PI decreased from 2.05 to 1.40 and 1.37 to 1.07 by the porous surface. The surface morphologies and cross-sectional images of the porous PTFE and PI demonstrated the existence of secondary roughness structures. Via simulation, we obtained multipactor thresholds of 8496 W, 12 374 W, and 9397 W for the SRWs filled with untreated PTFE surface, ideal porous surface (without secondary roughness), and real porous surface (with secondary roughness). Similar works were implemented for the PI-filled SRWs, resulting in simulated multipactor thresholds of 7640 W, 11 327 W, and 9433 W. The results indicate that the multipactor effect may not be effectively suppressed under the influence of secondary roughness structures such as plastic velvet and foam. Besides, simulation works indicated that the radio frequency electric field could extract secondary electrons from the microstructures, weakening the mitigation effect of microstructures on multipactor. The impact of surface charging on electron motion was also analyzed by considering energy distribution. It was suggested that the surface microstructures of plastic dielectrics lead to a decrease in the surface charge density and the electrostatic field strength, weakening the self-extinguishing effect and lowering the multipactor threshold. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the effect of secondary roughness on SEY and multipactor for organic dielectrics, which makes significant sense for the further investigation of dielectric multipactor.

Sensitivity analysis of multipactor susceptibility zone to variations in secondary electron yield values

We present a sensitivity analysis of the multipactor susceptibility zones to variations in the secondary electron yield (SEY) of materials, specifically focusing on the first and second unity crossover points of SEYs. In conducting this research, we leveraged our semi-analytic approach, which allows for the rapid prediction of the full multipactor zones with enhanced accuracy. Using this approach, we unveil several unique features of multipactor susceptibility zones, including the infinite extension of different-order multipactor zones and the overlap between them. Building upon this prediction capability, our results complement previous findings on the same topic and reveal that the multipactor zones depend not only on the first crossover point but also on the second crossover point of SEY, which this latter predominantly impacts multipactor susceptibility zones for low SEY materials. To validate our predictions, we present two distinct sets of multipactor experiments, providing empirical support for our results.

Towards quantification of doping in gallium arsenide nanostructures by low-energy scanning electron microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy.

We calculate a universal shift in work function of 59.4 meV per decade of dopant concentration change that applies to all doped semiconductors and from this use Monte Carlo simulations to simulate the resulting change in secondary electron yield for doped GaAs. We then compare experimental images of doped GaAs layers from scanning electron microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy. Kelvin probe force microscopy allows to directly measure and map local work function changes, but values measured are often smaller, typically only around half, of what theory predicts for perfectly clean surfaces.

Dynamic evolution investigation on the dielectric surface charging under electron irradiation with various energy distributions

Spacecrafts face various environmental risks in their working durations, thereinto, surface charging, which may result in abnormal operation of devices, is a typical detrimental effect and deserves to be deeply investigated, especially the charging process under various electron energy distributions. In this work, aiming to reveal the evolution process of surface charging in detail, we establish an approach for predicting surface potential under electron irradiation by considering the electron emission process. Mathematical relationships for the dependence of surface charging on the secondary electron yield properties of dielectric surfaces are established. The dynamic process of surface potential evolution is calculated for MgO and Al2O3 when the energy variation of incident electrons obeys uniform distribution, Gaussian distribution, and Maxwell distribution. By analyzing the dynamic equilibrium process of electron incidence/exit in the positively/negatively charged cases, the effect of electron energy on equilibrium surface potential and equilibrium time are quantitatively calculated. It is found that the surface potential will be a dozen volts when the surface is positively charged, surface charging of this magnitude does not have a noticeable effect, and the equilibrium time is short (several microseconds). However, the surface potential may reach very high levels (thousands of volts) leading to breakdowns when the dielectric surface is negatively charged, and its equilibrium time is 3 to 4 orders of magnitude higher than the positively charged case. Via calculating the surface potential under various incident distributions, we acquire the dynamic evolution process of surface potential evolution under different energy distributions, and find its consequence shows a similar tendency for the situation of constant energy irradiation. This work digs into the mechanism of surface charging under various irradiation situations, which makes sense for further works involving surface charging induced by electron irradiation with multiple energy distributions.

Analysis of multipacting threshold sensitivity to the random distributions of the secondary electron yield parameters

The way multipacting develops, depends strongly on the secondary emission property of the surface material. The knowledge of secondary electron yield is crucial for accurate prediction of the multipacting threshold. Variations in secondary electron yield parameters from experimental measurements create uncertainty, stemming from handling and surface preparation, and these uncertainties significantly affect multipacting threshold predictions. Despite their significance, the previous studies on the multipacting phenomenon did not adequately address the effect of an assumed random distribution of the secondary emission parameters on the multipacting threshold. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive statistical study on how the different random distributions of the secondary emission parameters and, as a result, the uncertainty in the secondary electron yield affect multipacting thresholds. We focus on three commonly used distributions, namely uniform, normal, and truncated normal distributions, to define the uncertainty of random inputs. We use the chaos polynomial expansion method to determine how much each of the random parameters contributes to the multipacting threshold uncertainty. Additionally, we calculate Sobol sensitivity indices to evaluate the impact of the individual parameters or groups of parameters on the model outputs and study how different random distributions of these parameters affected the Sobol index results.

An extension of first principle combined Monte Carlo method to simulate secondary electron yield of anisotropic crystal Al2O3

An extension of a first-principle combined Monte Carlo method is proposed in this work to obtain the secondary electron emission characteristics of anisotropic crystal Al2O3. Unlike isotropic crystal Cu, density functional theory calculations reveal that the q-dependent energy loss function of Al2O3 in all directions is different. Therefore, an interpolation algorithm is introduced in the Monte Carlo method to determine the loss of energy and inelastic mean free path of electrons. The simulation results are in good agreement with experimental data. This method can be further used to simulate the secondary emission yield of other anisotropic crystal materials.