Abstract

Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy provides a powerful tool for studying both the bulk and surface electronic structure of solids. While previous photoemission studies of solids have concentrated on the electronic structure of filled electronic levels, i.e. the valence bands of semiconductors and the filled conduction bands of metals, the extension of this technique to study the dynamic transient processes experienced by electrons excited into otherwise unoccupied states has only begun to be exploited [1]. In this paper we describe an experimental system which utilizes the generation of short pulsewidth coherent vacuum ultraviolet light to perform photoemission studies at solid surfaces and in the bulk. Furthermore, the nature of the short time duration of the light pulses, 10 picoseconds, provides the opportunity to study the transient dynamics of electrons which are excited into unoccupied levels in the solid.

© 1984 Optical Society of America