Gas and hydrogen ion gettering properties of lithium

The gettering properties of lithium films for O-2, CO2 and H2O were examine d in a vacuum system with a heater for lithium evaporation. The absorbed am ounts of O-2, CO2 and H2O observed were in the ratio, O-2/Li = 0.2, CO2/Li = 0.01 and H2O/Li = 0.12. The gettering action for H2O was saturated at a r elatively low lithium evaporation amount. The hydrogen uptake of a lithium oxide film was also investigated by using an ion irradiation apparatus with a thermal desorption spectroscopy. The ratio of retained hydrogen was H/Li similar or equal to 0.7, which was roughly the same as in the case of a fr esh lithium film. The helium ion irradiation reduced the hydrogen retention of the lithium oxide film. The retained. amount was 50% of that before the helium ion irradiation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved .