Diffraction of Electrons by a Copper Crystal

Abstract

INVESTIGATIONS of the secondary electron characteristics of a poly-crystalline copper surface have shown that maxima and minima appear in the low-voltage region of the total secondary electron curve only after the copper target has been heated at rather critical temperatures (Phys. Rev., 25, 41; 1925). Accompanying the appearance of these maxima and minima, a change has been observed in the angular distribution of the secondary electrons (Phys. Rev., 31, 414; 1928). These considerations, together with others (Phys. Rev., 31, 419; 1928), make it appear that the changes in slope in the low voltage region of the characteristic secondary electron curve of a metal are a function of the orientation of the surface crystals, as are also the directions of the scattered electrons.