Angular distribution of electrons elastically reflected from polycrystalline metals (Pd, In)

Elastic peak electron spectroscopy (EPES) is based on measurements of elast ic electron reflection coefficients. The angular distribution in EPES depen ds on different parameters such as atomic number of the substrate, the ener gy of the electron beam and the geometry of the analysis system. In this study, we compare the measured angular distribution of electrons el astically reflected from Pd and In surfaces with Monte-Carlo simulations. W e have used a theoretical approach based on knowledge of electron trajector ies and interaction effects inside the samples. For the experiments, we hav e constructed a special rotary energy analyser with a small aperture. The angular distributions of elastically backscattered electrons at 500 eV resulting from Monte-Carlo simulations of electron transport for Pd and In (atomic numbers 46 and 49) compare very well with the corresponding experim ental measurements. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.