Surface-plasmon-induced desorption by the attenuated-total-reflection method

Surface plasmons excited by a Nd:YAG (YAG, yttrium aluminum garnet) laser in an attenuated-total-reflection (ATR) geometry were used to desorb Al atoms from smooth Al films. The ejected Al atoms were ionized by a pulse-excimer laser and measured by time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. The desorption rate exhibits a sharp maximum at the surface-plasmon resonance angle. The experiment demonstrates that surface-plasmon-induced desorption can be accomplished on smooth surfaces. Since ATR excitation allows the use of a wide range of wavelengths, this method will be useful in the study of electronic desorption processes.