Electronic excitation of transition metal nitrides by light ions with keV energies.

We investigated the specific electronic energy deposition by protons and He ions with keV energies in different transition metal nitrides of technological interest. Data were obtained from two different time-of-flight ion scattering setups and show excellent agreement. For protons interacting with light nitrides, i.e. TiN, VN and CrN, very similar stopping cross sections per atom were found, which coincide with literature data of N2 gas for primary energies