Application of experimentally determined inelastic mean free path and surface excitation parameter in Ni to Monte Carlo simulation of reflection electron energy loss spectrum

The Monte Carlo (MC) simulation of reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy (REELS), in which energy losses by surface excitations were taken into account in addition to the bulk excitation, was developed. For the inelastic mean free path (IMFP), the surface excitation parameter (SEP), and the differential SEP (DSEP) required for the MC simulation as input data, those absolutely determined from absolute experimental REELS spectra were employed. The REELS spectra were simulated by using the present MC simulation for primary electrons of 300-3000 eV irradiated onto Ni. The simulated REELS spectra showed an excellent agreement with the experimental spectra, confirming that the MC simulation describes well the energy loss processes of electrons in the near surface region. The comparison of the spectra simulated with and without surface excitations has revealed that surface excitations play an important role in energy loss processes of electrons near surface region. Copyright (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.