PrincipIes and applications of ion-induced Auger electron emission from solids

Abstract

We review critically the field of Auger electron emission from slow ion impact on surfaces (Auger neutralization and deexcitation), and Auger emission from the decay of inner-shell holes created by impact with energetic ions. We show how the inspection of the basic formalism of transition rates for Auger neutralization, reveals the basic physical mechanisms involved, and provides the foundation for the method of Ion Neutralization Spectroscopy (INS) created by Hagstrum and co-workers. We describe the necessary experimental techniques, and show some of the most prominent applications of INS. We then present background information from electron-excited Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), we review the basic physics of inner-shell excitation by energetic light-ions (Born approximation and leading corrections to it), the case of inner-shell electron prom otion in heavy ion collisions, and specific solid state effects. Finally, we discuss experimental aspects and specific examples of ion-induced Auger spectra from low Z targets, and point to possible applications.