Geometrical Factors in Enhanced Photoyield from Small Metal Particles

Aerosol charging and capture in the nanoparticle size range (6–15nm) by direct photoionization and diffusion mechanisms

“…The general form of Eq. ͑3͒ is presumably still valid for nanoparticles, 9,22,30 but to utilize it, it is essential to assess the size dependency of the photoemission constant for sub-20 nm particles. Unfortunately, the value of K c is not readily available in the literature, even for bulk materials.…”

Wavelength-Resolved UV Photoelectric Charging Dynamics of Nanoparticles: Comparison of Spheres and Aggregates

“…The behavior of the quantum yield Y(hv) from flat surfaces is believed to follow the well-known three-steps model by Berglund and Spicer (1964a,b), which has been extended to the case of spherical particles (Burtscher et al 1982;Chen and Bates 1986;Muller et al 1988). In the vicinity of the photoelectric ionization threshold (the Fowler-Nordheim limit hv − ≤ ∼1.5 eV), the quantum yield Y(hv) should follow the Fowler-Nordheim law (Fowler 1931)…”

Formation of silver nanoparticles in silicon by metal vapor vacuum arc ion implantation

“…Among them, the ternary system of Ag-O-Cs, which comprises the key material components of photocathodes for image intensifiers, was probably the most relevant because of its broad usage for faint-light detection, despite the limited spectral range up to the near-infrared [2][3][4]. Diffuse multiple scatterings of photoelectrons in the nano-scale Ag particles were later found to be responsible for the enhanced efficiency of photoemission [5][6][7] and hence the increased sensitivity of photodetection.…”

“…As one of the early works that evolved into the modern nanotechnology, albeit documented in literature under a different name of small metal particles, composites of thin film materials with small Ag particles embedded in a nonmetallic matrix has been a subject of extensive research for optoelectronic device applications over the past half century [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Among them, the ternary system of Ag-O-Cs, which comprises the key material components of photocathodes for image intensifiers, was probably the most relevant because of its broad usage for faint-light detection, despite the limited spectral range up to the near-infrared [2][3][4].…”