A new method for measuring total electron emission yield of insulators

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Surface Science
• Physics

Background:

• Surface charge accumulation during electron bombardment hinders accurate total electron emission yield (TEEY) measurements in insulators.
• Traditional methods struggle to overcome the interference of deposited surface charge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a novel method for measuring the TEEY of insulators by mitigating surface charge effects.
• To establish a reliable criterion for determining the elimination of deposited surface charge.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a micro-patterned metal layer on insulator surfaces to create a conducting channel.
• Measuring TEEY based on the combined properties of the metal and the metal-insulator periodic structure.
• Applying theoretical analysis to derive a criterion for charge elimination.

Main Results:

• Validated the method's reliability by measuring the TEEY of Silicon (Si).
• Successfully obtained the TEEY characteristics of Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) up to 3000 eV, consistent with existing literature.
• Determined the maximum TEEY of SiO2 to be approximately 4.2 and its surface charge diffusion distance to be around 1 µm.

Conclusions:

• The developed method effectively eliminates surface deposited charge, enabling accurate TEEY measurements for insulators.
• A novel criterion for judging charge elimination was established, offering an advancement over traditional techniques.
• The method allows for the estimation of surface charge diffusion distances in insulators.