Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-42gr6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T11:17:21.424Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Determination of Inelastic Mean Free Path by Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy in TEM: A Model Study Using Si and Ge

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Chongmin Wang  and
Bret D. Cannon
Chongmin Wang
Affiliation:
chongmin.wang@pnl.gov, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Environmental Molecular Science Laboratory, 3335 Q Ave, MSIN: K8-93, Richland, WA, 99354, United States, (509) 3764292
Bret D. Cannon
Affiliation:
Bcannon@pnl.gov, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, United States
Get access

Abstract

Although the inelastic mean free path for Si and Ge have been measured previously, reported experimental values for silicon range from 121 nm to 160 nm for 200 keV and a large collection angle. A key factor responsible for this uncertainty is the lack of an accurate measurement of the specimen thickness at the point at which the EELS spectra are obtained. In this research, we have evaluated a systematic methodology for determination of the specimen thickness. In the thickness measurement based on converging beam electron diffraction, CBED, instead of the classic “trial and error” straight-line-fitting method to either the maxima or minima, a non-linear least square fitting of the theoretical diffraction profile to the energy filtered two-beam CBED is used. The low-loss EELS spectrum is also obtained from the same location. The inelastic mean free path was determined using the measured thickness and EELS data. Furthermore, attempt is also made to obtain the dielectric function from the low-loss spectrum. The established method will be extended to other materials and the results will be compared with numerical simulations.

Keywords

electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS)SiGe
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 982: Symposium KK – Electron Microscopy Across Hard and Soft Materials , 2006 , 0982-KK07-13
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1 Botton, G. A., L'Esperance, G., Gallerneault, C. E., and Ball, M. D., J. Microscopy 180, 217 (1995).Google Scholar
2 Egerton, R. F. and Malac, M., J. Electron Micro. Related Phen 143, 43 (2005).Google Scholar
3 Powell, C. J. and Jablonski, A., Surf. Interf. Analy. 29, 108 (2000).Google Scholar
4 Allen, S. and Hall, E. L., Philos. Magz. 46, 243 (1982).Google Scholar
5 Allen, S. M., Philos. Magz. 43, 325 (1981).Google Scholar
6 Kelly, P. M., Jostsons, A., Blake, R. G., and Napier, J. G., Phys. Stat. Sol. (a) 31, 771 (1975).Google Scholar
7 Catro-Fernandez, F. R., Sellars, C. M., and Whiteman, J. A., Philos. Magz. 52, 289 (1985).Google Scholar
8 Delille, D., Pantel, R., and Cappellen, E. V., Ultramicroscopy 87, 5 (2001).Google Scholar
9 Hirsch, P. B., Howie, A., Nicholson, R. B., Pashley, D. W., and Whelan, M. J., Electron microscopy of thin crystals (Butterworths, London, 1965).Google Scholar
10 Egerton, R. F. and Cheng, S. C., Ultramicroscopy 21, 231 (1987).Google Scholar
11 Egerton, R. F., Electron Energy-loss Spectroscopy in Electron Microscope, Second ed. (Plenum Press, New York, 1996).Google Scholar
12 Malis, T., Cheng, S. C., and Egerton, R. F., J. Electron Micro. Tech. 7, 193 (1988).Google Scholar
13 Spence, J. C. H. and Zuo, J. M., Electron Microdiffraction (Plenum Press, NEw York, 1992).Google Scholar
14 Press, W. H., Teukolsky, S. A., Vetterling, W. T., and Flannery, B. P., Numerical Recipes in C, Second ed. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1992).Google Scholar
15 Jin, Q. and Li, D., Microsc Microanal 12(Supp 2), 1186CD (2006).Google Scholar
16 Lee, C. W., Ikematsu, Y., and Shindo, D., J. Electron Microscopy 51, 143 (2002).Google Scholar
17 Nakafuji, A., Murakami, Y., and Shindo, D., J. Electron Microscopy 50, 23 (2001).Google Scholar
18 Jin, Q. and Wang, S., Mocrosc Microanal 12(supp 2), 1184CD (2006).Google Scholar
19 Perkins, S.T., Cullen, D.E., and Seltzer, S.M., Tables and Graphs of Electron-Interaction Cross-Sections from 10 eV to 100 GeV Derived from the LLNL Evaluated Electron Data Library (EEDL), Z=1–100, Vol.31.Google Scholar