Inelastic Mean Free Paths, Mean Escape Depths, and Effective Attenuation Lengths for Surface Electron Spectroscopies

While the IMFP is a basic material parameter, the EAL, MED, and ID depend not only on the IMFP but also on the instrumental configuration and the magnitudes of elastic-scattering effects on the trajectories of the detected electrons. Since these parameters are often confused or misunderstood, we first give definitions of each term based on the ISO18115-2010. We then present examples of recent calculations of IMFPs for electron energies up to 30 keV. Information is given there on IMFPs for selected elemental solids and inorganic compounds, comparisons of calculated and measured IMFPs, and the analytical equation TPP-2M for estimating IMFPs. We also refer to the absolute elastic-peak electron spectroscopy (EPES) over 10 eV - 5 keV for elemental solids and compounds.