Electron-hole pair creation at a Ge(100) surface by ground-state neutral Xe atoms
Abstract
We have directly measured the excitation of electron-hole pairs at a crystal surface by ground-state neutral atoms. Utilizing seeded molecular beam techniques we have scattered hyperthermal (1-6 eV) Xe atoms from the (100) face of a Ge p-i-n diode and recorded the current transient induced due to the scattering process. We find the product of the excitation and collection probability to be ∼10-4 over a range of kinetic energies 2<EXe(eV)<6. The excitation of electron-hole pairs constitutes a small portion of the massive energy loss (ΔE/E∼70%) of the Xe atom to the crystal.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Applied Physics
- Pub Date:
- March 1986
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.336361
- Bibcode:
- 1986JAP....59.2213A
- Keywords:
-
- Crystal Surfaces;
- Germanium;
- Ground State;
- Pair Production;
- Xenon;
- Kinetic Energy;
- Neutral Atoms;
- P-I-N Junctions;
- Photoconductivity;
- Solid-State Physics