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Effective medium theory for REELS analysis of amorphous carbon films
Author(s) -
Calliari L.,
Fanchenko S.,
Filippi M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
surface and interface analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1096-9918
pISSN - 0142-2421
DOI - 10.1002/sia.3232
Subject(s) - inelastic mean free path , isotropy , graphite , crystallite , amorphous solid , ion , anisotropy , mean free path , materials science , amorphous carbon , irradiation , carbon fibers , spectral line , electron energy loss spectroscopy , condensed matter physics , electron , chemistry , physics , optics , composite material , crystallography , quantum mechanics , composite number , metallurgy
We use effective medium theory (EMT) as a framework to describe reflection electron energy loss spectra (REELS) from polycrystalline graphite and amorphous carbon (a‐C), the latter obtained by ion irradiation of the former. Such materials, isotropic at a macroscopic scale, are anisotropic at the micro‐ or nano‐scale. For them, we prove the value of the concept of effective isotropic energy loss function to describe EELS in the plasmon region. Based on this function, we calculate a differential inverse inelastic mean free path (DIIMFP) which, compared to experimental spectra from pristine and ion‐irradiated polycrystalline graphite, is able to reproduce their main features. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.