The inelastic mean free paths of electrons in semiconducting III–V compounds

The inelastic mean free path of electrons in solids is an important parameter in surface studies using AES and XPS. In this paper we present theoretical calculations of this parameter for the semiconducting III‐V compounds GaAs, GaSb, GaP, InSb and InAs. These calculations are based on a model dielectric function for the response of the valence band and the local‐plasma‐approximation for the response of inner shells. In the former case, the Kramers–Kronig relation and the partial sum rule for valence electrons are applied. In the latter case, the electron density distribution obtained from the Hartree–Slater model is utilized. Results are compared to other calculations using the Penn's model and the model of Ashley et al. for GaAs. Since no data on experimental electron attenuation lengths in the important semiconducting III–V compounds are available, it is suggested that direct calculations of the present type are useful in applications.