Effect of spin polarization of Ni(1Â 1Â 0) surface on Auger neutralization for grazing scattering of He+ ions

The survival of ions during grazing scattering of keV He+ ions from a clean Ni(1 1 0) surface is studied as function of target temperature. We observe ion fractions in the scattered beams of typically 10−3 which show a slight increase with temperature of the target surface. From computer simulations of projectile trajectories we attribute this enhancement for ion fractions to effects of thermal vibrations of lattice atoms on the survival of ions in their initial charge state. Based on concepts of Auger neutralization, we discuss the role of the spin polarization of target electrons on charge transfer. We do not find corresponding signatures in our data and conclude that in the present case of Ni(1 1 0) the spin polarization has to be small.