Dissociative electron attachment and dissociative ionization of 1,1-dichloro-1-silacyclohexane and silacyclohexane

•Dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to 1,1-dichloro-1-silacyclohexane and silacyclohexane.•Dissociative ionization (DI) of 1,1-dichloro-1-silacyclohexane and silacyclohexane.•Rich fragmentation in DI of 1,1-dichloro-1-silacyclohexane and silacyclohexane.•Rich fragmentation in DEA to 1,1-dichloro-1-silacyclohexane.•No fragmentation in DEA to silacyclohexane.

Here we present a study on dissociative electron attachment (DEA) and dissociative ionization (DI) of 1,1-dichloro-1-silacyclohexane and silacyclohexane, and we discuss the results in relation to the role of secondary electrons in focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID). In both 1,1-dichloro-1-silacyclohexane and silacyclohexane DI leads to extensive fragmentation that is governed by carbon and hydrogen loss. In 1,1-dichloro-1-silacyclohexane DEA also leads to a wide-range of fragments, but with the exception of the Cl− formation and the formation of C5H6Si−, most channels appear with low efficiency. Different from 1,1-dichloro-1-silacyclohexane, no fragment formation is observed in DEA to silacyclohexane. This compound might thus be suitable to distinguish between DEA and DI through secondary electrons in FEBID.

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