Laser photoelectron spectrometry measurement of characteristic electronic and vibrational temperatures of sputtered negative ions

The techniques of laser photoelectron spectrometry are used to characterize directly the internal energy distribution of sputtered negative ions. Effective temperatures of Telec≈1500±500 K and Tvib ≈5000±1000 K are determined. The excited electronic and vibrational state populations are not in equilibrium, in contrast to predictions of the local thermodynamic equilibrium model of sputtering.