Monte Carlo study of the spin polarization enhancement in the low-energy secondary electron emission from ferromagnetic materials

The spin polarization enhancement of secondary electrons emitted from ferromagnetic materials at low kinetic energies is studied by a Monte Carlo simulation of electron scattering that considers the spin direction of generated secondary electrons. A modified model of electron scattering in the magnetic materials is proposed that introduces electron-hole pair excitation processes with opposite spin (Stoner excitations). The two major characteristics-the primary energy dependence and the spectrum of secondary electron spin polarization-are studied with both the previous and the modified simulation models. A better agreement with experimental measurements is obtained in both characteristics with the modified model. The enhancement of the secondary spin polarization at low energies is reproduced by the introduction of Stoner excitation processes into the simulation. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.