Exoelectron emission from unexcited metallic glasses Fe78B13Si9 during heat treatment

Exoelectron emission from the surface of unexcited metallic glasses Fe78B13Si9 during heat treatment has been studied under ultra high vacuum condition. In the first heating cycle, exoelectrons are emitted from the as-cast ribbon in the temperature range from approximately 423 K to 773 K (150 °C to 500 °C), although the surface of the specimen is not excited by ionizing radiation, chemical processes, or mechanical treatments prior to measurements. In the second and subsequent heating cycles, however, there is no anomalous emission observed in the same temperature range. In order to elucidate the mechanism of emission, the surface of the specimen is observed by the atomic force microscope (AFM) before and after measurements. In the AFM image, many crystallites in the amorphous matrix can be found in the surface of the heated specimen. These experimental results show that exoelectrons are emitted in the same temperature range as the early stages of crystallization on the surface of metallic glasses. We hypothesize that the two effects are correlated.