Emission-depth-selective auger photoelectron coincidence spectroscopy.

The collision statistics of the energy dissipation of Auger and photoelectrons emitted from an amorphized Si(100) surface is studied by measuring the Si 2p photoelectron line as well as the first plasmon loss peak in coincidence with the Si-LVV Auger transition and the associated first plasmon loss. The Si 2p plasmon intensity decreases when measured in coincidence with the Si-LVV peak. If measured in coincidence with the Si-LVV plasmon the decrease is significantly smaller.

Potential sputtering.

The potential energy stored in multiply charged ions is liberated when the ions recombine during impact on a solid surface. For certain target species this can lead to a novel form of ion-induced sputtering, which, in analogy to the usual kinetic sputtering, has been termed 'potential sputtering'. This sputtering process is characterized by a strong dependence of the observed sputtering yields on the charge state of the impinging ion and can take place at ion-impact energies well below the kinetic sputtering threshold.