ELECTRON IMPACT IONIZATION.

This article presents information on electron impact ionization. For atoms and molecules the term electron impact ionization applies to the process in which one or more electrons bound to a target are removed as a result of collisions between a free energetic electron and a target atom or molecule, thereby leaving the target species positively charged. Nowadays, low-temperature plasmas are being extensively employed for processing semiconductors. Properties of the ionosphere of planets, comets, and Earth can be better understood with the knowledge of electron-impact cross sections. They are also important for calculating the penetration depths of β particles in biological samples.