A MONTE-CARLO MODELING OF ELECTRON INTERACTION WITH SOLIDS INCLUDING CASCADE SECONDARY-ELECTRON PRODUCTION

A new Monte Carlo simulation approach has been developed to describe e lectron scattering and secondary electron generation processes in soli ds. This approach is based on the uses of Mott's elastic scattering cr oss section and Penn's dielectric function. A very good agreement has been found on the energy distribution of backscattered electrons betwe en theoretical calculations and accurate experimental measurement rece ntly made by Goto et al. (1994). This fact confirms that the present M onte Carlo model is very useful for more comprehensive understanding o f basic phenomena in electron spectroscopy and microscopy, particularl y in the sub-keV energy region where cascade secondary electrons play a dominant role. In this paper the details of the Monte Carlo procedur e are described and further application to the mechanism of secondary electron generation is presented.