Theory of the Production of Secondary Electrons in Solids

On the assumption of a simple Coulomb interaction between a primary and a lattice electron, a general formulation of the problem of the production of secondary electrons is given. The basic features of the existing theories of secondary emission are presented and discussed as different approximations of this formulation. Special attention is given to the process of production of secondaries and to the energy losses suffered by the bombarding primaries. Finally, the ratio is estimated of the number of secondary electrons emitted due to processes considered by Wooldridge and those investigated by Baroody.