Use of Monte Carlo modeling to aid interpretation and quantification of the low energy-loss electron yield at low primary energies

TY - JOUR

T1 - Use of Monte Carlo modeling to aid interpretation and quantification of the low energy-loss electron yield at low primary energies

AU - Bonet, Christopher

AU - Pratt, Andrew

AU - El-Gomati, Mohamed M.

AU - Matthew, J. A D

AU - Tear, Steven P.

PY - 2008/10/1

Y1 - 2008/10/1

N2 - Experimental low-loss electron (LLE) yields were measured as a function of loss energy for a range of elemental standards using a high-vacuum scanning electron microscope operating at 5 keV primary beam energy with losses from 0 to 1 keV. The resulting LLE yield curves were compared with Monte Carlo simulations of the LLE yield in the particular beam/sample/detector geometry employed in the experiment to investigate the possibility of modeling the LLE yield for a series of elements. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using both the Joy and Luo [Joy, D.C. & Luo, S., Scanning 11(4), 176-180 (1989)] expression for the electron stopping power and recent tabulated values of Tanuma et al. [Tanuma, S. et al., Surf Interf Anal 37(11), 978-988 (2005)] to assess the influence of the more recent stopping power data on the simulation results. Further simulations have been conducted to explore the influence of sample/detector geometry on the LLE signal in the case of layered samples consisting of a thin C overlayer on an elemental substrate. Experimental LLE data were collected from a range of elemental samples coated with a thin C overlayer, and comparisons with Monte Carlo simulations were used to establish the overlayer thickness.

AB - Experimental low-loss electron (LLE) yields were measured as a function of loss energy for a range of elemental standards using a high-vacuum scanning electron microscope operating at 5 keV primary beam energy with losses from 0 to 1 keV. The resulting LLE yield curves were compared with Monte Carlo simulations of the LLE yield in the particular beam/sample/detector geometry employed in the experiment to investigate the possibility of modeling the LLE yield for a series of elements. Monte Carlo simulations were performed using both the Joy and Luo [Joy, D.C. & Luo, S., Scanning 11(4), 176-180 (1989)] expression for the electron stopping power and recent tabulated values of Tanuma et al. [Tanuma, S. et al., Surf Interf Anal 37(11), 978-988 (2005)] to assess the influence of the more recent stopping power data on the simulation results. Further simulations have been conducted to explore the influence of sample/detector geometry on the LLE signal in the case of layered samples consisting of a thin C overlayer on an elemental substrate. Experimental LLE data were collected from a range of elemental samples coated with a thin C overlayer, and comparisons with Monte Carlo simulations were used to establish the overlayer thickness.

KW - Backscattered electron

KW - BSE

KW - Electron microscope

KW - Low-loss electron

KW - Modeling

KW - Monte Carlo

KW - Scanning electron microscope

KW - SEM

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=52149110546&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1017/S1431927608080719

DO - 10.1017/S1431927608080719

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:52149110546

SN - 1431-9276

VL - 14

SP - 439

EP - 450

JO - Microscopy and Microanalysis

JF - Microscopy and Microanalysis

IS - 5

ER -