The mechanism of the electron sputtering process of alkali halides

The energy distributions of the particles leaving a polycrystalline alkali halide target under bombardment with electrons are measured. NaBr, KBr, RbBr, CsBr, NaI, KI, RbI, and CsI at target temperatures between 40 and 4000C are investigated. Among the possible ways to cause sputtering the diffusion of excitons is very improbable because no particles with energies higher than 1 eV have been found. Compared to it the experimental results are in agreement with the focussed collision replacement sequence. This mechanism is described