Measurements of single-photon photoelectric emission sensitivity of ion implanted polycrystalline tungsten surface by 3×1016 K+ ions/cm2 are reported. They are compared to the data previously obtained for pure tungsten tested under the same conditions. The enhancement of the photoelectric sensitivity up to a factor of 50 was measured as a consequence of the change in the electronic properties of the tungsten surface, induced by the implanted alkali metal ions. Compared with other techniques used to reduce the work function of pure tungsten, the implanted surface exhibits a lower work function than the pure metal, and is capable of supporting high laser intensity for a long time. For these reasons it seems possible to consider the ion-implantation technique as a suitable new method to significantly improve the photoelectric performances of usual metals, under high laser intensity illuminations.
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