Radial velocity distributions of secondary ions ejected in electronic sputtering of organic solids

Abstract Initial radial velocity distributions of large organic molecular ions as well as low mass contaminant and fragment ions ejected from a solid by impact of 72.3 MeV 127 I 13+ have been measured by deflecting the secondary ions by means of a pair of deflection plates placed in the field-free region of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The radial velocity distributions have been studied as a function of the angle of incidence of the primary ion for different masses and charge states of the secondary ions. The results indicate that different ejection mechanisms may be involved, applicable in different regions of the secondary ion mass range.