Effect of gamma radiation on thermostimulated exoelectron emission from Gd2O3 films

Abstract The effect of gamma irradiation on Gd2O3 films was studied using the thermostimulated exoelectron emission (TSEE) technique. The films were deposited on a glass and Si/SiO2 substrates using an extraction-pyrolytic method. Crystalline structure, chemical composition, film thickness and surface morphology were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The films were irradiated by 10 MeV gamma photons and TSEE was measured from the irradiated films. It was found that gamma irradiation decreases TSEE intensity and the area below TSEE spectral curves. A linear correlati…