Electron Emission from Hypervelocity C60 Impacts

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) performed in the event-by-event bombardment detection mode when coupled to an electron emission microscope allows one to investigate individual nano-objects. Two groups of Au and Al oxide nano-objects were compared with their bulk counterparts based on their secondary ion and electron emission from individual C60 impacts at 15 and 30 keV total impact energy. Our results show that electron yields depend on the size and surroundings of the nano-object, and at higher impact energies, these differences in electron emission are more pronounced. A second key observation for systems of similar chemical makeup but different surface topography and size is that the emission of secondary ions and electrons is independent of each other.