Electron-beam penetration in surface films

In electron microscopy an electron-beam impinges on a solid target. Each individual electron loses energy and changes its direction of motion due to atomic electron excitation, plasmon emission and interactions with the nuclei of the medium.The travel of the electron in the solid may be described by the inelastic scattering processes - due to the interaction between the incident electron and the atomic electrons - and the elastic scattering processes - due to the collisions between the incident electron and the nuclei.Once calculated the electron inelastic and elastic scattering cross sections, it is possible to deal with the problem of the interaction of an electron-beam with a solid by use of the Monte Carlo method, a statistical tool able to solve mathematical problems. This work is focused on the simulation of the interaction of an electron-beam with solid targets constituted by Au thin films deposited on Al substrates. The Monte Carlo simulation results are used to predict the beam behavior: the implantation profiles are utilized, in particular, to calculate the ranges of penetration in the Au/Al system. An analytical model to calculate the maximum range of penetration of electrons in the Au/Al system is proposed.