Electron-Stimulated Desorption of Cesium Atoms from Graphene to Iridium Intercalated and not Intercalated with Cesium

Abstract

The processes of electron-stimulated desorption of neutral cesium atoms from graphene to iridium are studied in the cases in which the graphene layer is or is not intercalated with cesium. It was found that there are two peaks in the kinetic energy distributions of desorbed neutral cesium atoms: a high-energy peak at 0.36 eV and a low-energy one at 0.13 eV. The high-energy peak is observed in both cases and is associated with the excitation of the 2s core levels of carbon. The low-energy peak is observed only in the absence of intercalation and is associated with the excitation of the 4f and 5p core levels of iridium. A model describing the processes of electron-stimulated desorption of cesium atoms from a graphene surface on iridium is proposed, and a conclusion is made that graphene on iridium behaves in these processes as a dielectric.