| AVS 56th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Applied Surface Science | Thursday Sessions |
| Session AS1-ThM |
| Session: | Advances in Surface Analysis |
| Presenter: | L.A. Giannuzzi, FEI Company |
| Authors: | L.A. Giannuzzi, FEI Company B.P. Gorman, Colorado School of Mines |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Characteristic X-ray emission from a well grounded metal samples using standard 30 keV Ga+ focused ion beams is demonstrated. X-ray yields are found to be on the order of 10-10 per incident ion, consistent with previous studies of low energy, high mass ion – solid interactions. X-ray yields were found to be highest for soft X-rays, i.e., low energy transitions or low atomic number target atoms. Bremstrahhlung X-ray emission was found to be minimal, possibly increasing the detectability limits compared with electron beam induced X-rays. The generation of heavy ion induced X-rays is consistent with a molecular-orbital level crossing model where velocity coupling between the primary ion beam and target atom electrons is not necessary and the majority of X-rays are in fact generated due to recoil effects within the ion – solid interaction cascade.