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Probing depth of the low energy cascade electrons from a transition metal

  • Surfaces And Multilayers
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Abstract

A surface probing depth of only ∼ 2 layers for low energy cascade electrons excited with a 3.2 keV primary electron beam is clearly demonstrated by model experiments with non-magnetic overlayers of Ta on magnetic substrates of Fe/Ni80Fe20. This result establishes a short probing depth of low energy electrons in transition metals generalizing the previously observed short magnetic probing depth for spin-polarized electrons in ferromagnets. The short probing depth sheds new light on a number of spectroscopic observations on ferromagnetic transition metals, and has important implications concerning surface magnetic properties and scattering processes of hot electrons in transition metals.

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Author notes

  1. M. Donath

    Present address: EURATOM-Association, Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, W-8046, Garching bei München, FRG

  2. H. C. Siegmann

    Present address: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, CH-8093, Zürich, Switzerland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IBM Almaden Research Center, 95120-6099, San Jose, CA, USA

    M. Donath, D. Scholl, H. C. Siegmann & E. Kay

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  1. M. Donath
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  2. D. Scholl
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  3. H. C. Siegmann
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  4. E. Kay
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Donath, M., Scholl, D., Siegmann, H.C. et al. Probing depth of the low energy cascade electrons from a transition metal. Appl. Phys. A 52, 206–209 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00324420

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00324420

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