A study of electron penetration in solids using a direct Monte Carlo approach

Abstract

Fundamental characteristics of electron penetration in solids, such as energy and angular distributions of transmitted electrons, have been theoretically calculated using a Monte Carlo approach. The essential features of the Monte Carlo approach are the inclusion of the random nature of inelastic scattering events, and also the extension of Gryzinski’s semiempirical expression for core electron excitation to valence electron excitation through the use of an appropriate mean binding energy. A detailed comparison of the theoretical results for aluminum and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) with experimental results show that the direct Monte Carlo approach describes electron scattering events in solids very well. It is also shown that this approach describes the energy distribution of transmitted electrons through thin films of aluminum and PMMA more realistically than the Monte Carlo approaches utilizing Bethe’s stopping power equation.