Electron beam-induced fullerite structure transformation

Auger spectra of thin fullerite (C₆₀) films have been measured under the conditions precluding their electrostatic charging and destruction. The Auger line of these subjects, E _f=268.3±0.2 eV, turned out to lie considerably lower in energy than that of the ion-beam amorphized graphite (E _AG=272.3±0.2 eV) and of pyrographite (E _PG=271.8±0.5 eV). Fullerite was found to convert to a graphitic form under irradiation by low-intensity electron beams used customarily in AES, reflection EELS, and inverse photoemission spectroscopy. It has been established that such beams produce noticeable changes in the fullerite structure already in a few minutes of irradiation. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 187–190 (January 1997)