Determination of inelastic mean free paths for AuPd alloys by elastic peak electron spectroscopy (EPES)

The inelastic mean free paths (IMFPs) of three AuPd alloys were determined by means of elastic peak electron spectroscopy (EPES) in a round-robin study in four laboratories using different types of electron spectrometers in the energy range 0.5–2 keV. The scatter of the IMFP values was in the range of 25%. Within this accuracy the inverse IMFP of these alloys can be calculated by the weighted sum of the inverse IMFPs of the alloying elements. Reflected electron energy loss spectra also were measured and the Kλ curves, calculated by the method of Tougaard, were used for estimating the inelastic processes in the alloys. The source of the scatter in the IMFPs obtained in the present work is discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.