Angular distribution of electrons elastically reflected from polycrystalline metals (Pd, In)

Elastic peak electron spectroscopy (EPES) is based on measurements of elastic electron reflection coefficients. The angular distribution in EPES depends on different parameters such as atomic number of the substrate, the energy of the electron beam and the geometry of the analysis system. In this study, we compare the measured angular distribution of electrons elastically reflected from Pd and In surfaces with Monte-Carlo simulations. We have used a theoretical approach based on knowledge of electron trajectories and interaction effects inside the samples. For the experiments, we have constructed a special rotary energy analyser with a small aperture. The angular distributions of elastically backscattered electrons at 500 eV resulting from Monte-Carlo simulations of electron transport for Pd and In (atomic numbers 46 and 49) compare very well with the corresponding experimental measurements.