Decay of secondary electron yield of MgO–Au composite film at different incident electron energies

The relationship between the incident electron energy and secondary electron yield (SEY) decay of MgO–Au composite film was investigated by the designed comparison experiments. Besides the incident current and the properties of the film, the SEY value and the incident electron energy were found to be the other two key factors affecting the SEY decay rate. The value of SEY and the incident electron energy have opposite influences on the SEY decay rate, which makes it necessary to analyze the curve of incident electron energy versus SEY decay rate by dividing it into three parts. In addition, the empirical formulas for SEY decay were derived from experimental data, enabling the estimation of the SEY and decay rate of the MgO–Au composite film at any moment during SEY decay. Furthermore, the cause of SEY decay was also analyzed based on the relationship between incident electron energy and the SEY decay rate. The thermal dissipation, surface roughness, and deposition of contaminants were proven not to be the determinants of SEY decay. The experiment results in this paper supported the inference that the charging effect was the primary cause of SEY decay.