Electron-Impact Excitation of Tellurium Vapor

Excitation processes of tellurium vapor in collisions with low-energy electrons (0–50 eV) are studied. Emission spectra in the 200–525 nm range produced by electrons with energies of 10, 15, 20, and 30 eV are taken, and the optical excitation functions of the most intense atomic lines and molecular bands are measured. It is found that at temperatures of 270–320°C the vapor contains a large amount of diatomic Te 2 molecules, as well as polyatomic tellurium molecules, while atomic Te * lines are formed by dissociative excitation of tellurium molecules.