Neutralization of very-low-energy ions on Pt(100)

Charge exchange of Ar+, N+, and N2+ ions with a Pt(100) surface has been studied over incident energies ranging from 10 to 400 eV. Below 100 eV, the ion survival probability increases with decreasing energy. This increase represents the changing penetration depth of incident ions into the ion-surface interaction potential. Comparison of the result for Ar+ incidence with that of nitrogen ions shows that resonance neutralization is of minor importance for the ion survival probability and the preferential neutralization of nitrogen ions at high energies