Cathodoluminescence

Abstract

As mentioned earlier, the mechanisms leading to photon emission in inorganic solids are similar for different types of excitation energy, so cathodoluminescence can be compared with other luminescence phenomena, such as photoluminescence. However, differences associated with the details of the excitation process may arise. Electron beam excitation in general leads to emission by all the luminescence mechanisms present in the material. Excitation-deexcitation centers can be excited, for example, by direct collision or resonant energy transfer from a coactivator. Photoluminescence emission may strongly depend on the excitation energy hv, which can be used for selective excitation of particular emission processes. Cathodoluminescence analysis of materials, on the other hand, can provide depth-resolved information by varying the electron beam energy (see Chapter 6).