Photon stimulated desorption of cations from yttria-stabilized cubic ZrO2(100)

The positive ion yield resulting from the interaction of a pulsed 266-nm laser with yttria-stabilized cubic zirconia crystals is investigated. Although the photon energy (4.66 eV) is well below the nominal band-gap energy for ZrO(2) (5.0-5.5 eV), photon stimulated ion desorption (PSD) of Y(+), Zr(+), YO(+) and ZrO(+) begins at similar to 2.5 MW/cm(2). We interpret this as the onset of laser ablation. Cation mass spectra collected using higher laser fluences resemble those obtained via secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The similarity between the laser ablation and SIMS data demonstrates the importance of surface electronic structure effects in photon induced degradation of this material. (C) 1998 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.