Hot-electron diffusion lengths in the rare-gas solids

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Abstract
Measurements of the secondary-electron escape probability have been used to determine the escape depth of hot electrons in thin films of Ne, Ar, and Xe. The electrons were generated with 5.9-keV x rays, and the data were analyzed using a diffusion model including absorption at the substrate. The escape depths are measured to be 0.23, 0.45, and 25 μm for Xe, Ar, and Ne, respectively, and appear to be limited by trapping at defects. It is demonstrated that the long escape depths make the rare-gas solids efficient photocathodes for x rays.