Secondary electron emission from a thin coating on Lucite and Lexan substrates

Measurements of the SEEC (secondary electron emission coefficient) on samples of Lucite and Lexan cut from commercially available bar stock exhibit large variations from sample to sample. This scatter is too large to be explained by experimental uncertainties. It is proposed that the sample surfaces really are different due to the inhomogeneous bar stock. Techniques exist for measuring the density and composition of the polymers and it is suggested that these should be applied to the surface of these samples. The problem is not trivial, however, because the SEEC measurements probe only a thin surface layer. Therefore, the surface density, composition, and structure must be analyzed using techniques which also probe only a thin layer, such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.<>