Secondary emission properties as a function of the electron incidence angle

Computer codes being developed to improve the understanding of crossed-field amplifier (CFA) performance require a more complete and reliable database of the secondary electron emission properties of the electrode materials than exists in the literature. The authors describe an experimental method and present results of secondary emission yield measurements on molybdenum surfaces, both clean and gas-exposed. The surface cleanliness was monitored by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and all measurements were made under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions (better than 1×10^-10 torr). The results differ from the existing data for which the surface cleanliness was not determined. The secondary electron emission yields were measured as a function of the primary electron energy and also of the angle of incidence. The results were fitted with the analytical expressions of J.R.M. Vaughan (1989), with good overall agreement if Vaughan´s formulas are slightly modified