Electric Pulse-Induced Desorption Compared to Other Techniques — Mechanism, Mass Spectra, and Applications

Abstract

It is well known that even very large molecules can be desorbed from a solid, when a transient but strong electric perturbation affects its surface, regardless of the detailed properties of the source of excitation. This can be done either by exciting the electronic system of the solid directly, e.g.,

• with very fast heavy ions in the inelastic energy loss regime (HIID)

• with non-resonant UV-laser beams (LID)

  or, by exciting the lattice structure, thus altering the electric environment of the molecules at the surface rapidly, e.g.,

• with primary ions in the elastic energy loss regime (SIMS)

• with far-IR lasers resonant to lattice modes.