The electron stimulated desorption of oxygen from transition metal oxides

he processes known collectively as Desorptions Induced by Electronic Transitions (DIET) are widely believed to produce many more neutral than ionic desorbates. The electron stimulated desorption (ESD) neutral to ion ratio, R, has been determined largely by indirect experimental methods and has generally been found to be in the range of, a few to several orders of magnitude. In this study, two direct techniques, High Resolution Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (HRQMS) and Resonance Enhanced Multiphoton Ionization-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (REMPI-TOF), and one indirect technique, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) were used to measure R from the oxides of Ag, Ta, Ti, V, and W. The samples were pressed powder pellets or metal foils prepared by flame oxidation, pretreatment with...