K-shell excitation of HCN by electron energy loss spectroscopy

Small angle inelastic scattering of fast electrons has been used to study carbon and nitrogen K-shell excitation and ionization of HCN. The K→π* transitions in HCN have been investigated with high resolution.     

Reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy of aluminum

Reflection electron energy loss spectra (REELS) of Al(111) single crystal and of the aluminum polycrystalline (poly Al) film were measured at 200 eV and 1000 eV electron energies for a variety of experimental geometries and were mutually compared. No anisotropy was found for the poly Al, as expected. Polar intensity plots evaluated from the elastic (no loss) and inelastic first surface plasmon- and first bulk plasmon-loss intensities of the Al(111) surface show clearly discernable peaks for both considered electron energies. Their positions on the angular axis are the same for the elastic as well as for the inelastic, surface and bulk plasmon-loss peaks. The polar plots of intensities of the elastically and inelastically reflected electrons were compared to calculated intensities of photoelectrons emitted from the Al 2s core level to the same kinetic energy. Peak positions in the theoretically determined polar plots of electron intensities agree with those obtained experimentally in REELS.     

Image simulation for electron energy loss spectroscopy

Aberration correction of the probe forming optics of the scanning transmission electron microscope has allowed the probe-forming aperture to be increased in size, resulting in probes of the order of 1 A in diameter. The next generation of correctors promise even smaller probes. Improved spectrometer optics also offers the possibility of larger electron energy loss spectrometry detectors. The localization of images based on core-loss electron energy loss spectroscopy is examined as function of both probe-forming aperture and detector size. The effective ionization is nonlocal in nature, and two common local approximations are compared to full nonlocal calculations. The affect of the channelling of the electron probe within the sample is also discussed.     

Background subtraction in electron spectroscopy by use of reflection electron energy loss spectra

The use of reflected electron energy loss spectra (REELS) in deconvoluting the inelastic background signal from XPS and AES spectra from homogeneous samples is studied. It is demonstrated that under certain assumptions, the cross section for inelastic electron scattering can be extracted from a REELS spectrum. This cross section is applied to deconvolute an experimental XPS spectrum of aluminium. The method, its limitations and its relation to other methods are discussed.     

Study of He bubbles in Al by electron energy loss spectroscopy

High energy electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS) has been used to study He bubbles in Al, which were obtained by irradiation of He ions or α-particles of energy ranging from 500 eV to 8 keV and fluences 1x10²⁰m^?2 and 5x10²⁰m^?2. ELS reveals surface plasmon losses of the Al cavities as well as pressure shifts of the He-resonance lines as large as 1 eV. This is viewed as evidence for the existence of a so-called super-dense He in the bubbles. ELS is therefore a promising tool for obtaining information on the He pressure within the bubbles.     

High-detective-quantum-efficiency fast-electron detector for electron energy loss spectroscopy

In order to increase the sensitivity of the parallel electron detector used in electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), we have developed a direct electron exposed detector, based on a photodiode array (PDA). This work investigates the performance of this detector at 100 keV incident electrons in terms of the detective quantum efficiency (DQE), the modulation transfer function (MTF) and radiation damage.     

Fast electron energy loss spectrum of an amorphous tungsten trioxide film

The forward scattering energy loss spectrum of 300 KeV electrons transmitted through thin films of WO₃ has been measured in the energy range of 0.8–225 eV with an energy loss resolution of 0.1 eV. Energy losses due to excitation of color centers, inter band transitions and core elestrons in WO₃ have been identified. Measurement of the elastic electron difraction pattern revealed the amorphous nature of the film with structural differences depending upon the preparative methods.     

Silicon surface passivation by aluminium oxide studied with electron energy loss spectroscopy

The origin behind crystalline silicon surface passivation by Al₂O₃ films is studied in detail by means of spatially‐resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy. The bonding configurations of Al and O are studied in as‐deposited and annealed Al₂O₃ films grown on c‐Si substrates by plasma‐assisted and thermal atomic layer deposition. The results confirm the presence of an interfacial SiO₂‐like film and demonstrate changes in the ratio between tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated Al in the films after annealing. These observations reveal the underlying origin of c‐Si surface passivation by Al₂O₃. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Exciton coherence and electron energy loss spectroscopy of conjugated molecules

Signatures of the exciton coherence size, which controls the nonlinear optical response and luminescence of conjugated systems, in the electronic dynamic structure factor S(q,omega) are calculated. We find that for small molecules the momentum dependence of the lowest exciton resonance is purely geometric, reflecting the molecular size rather than a universal exciton size, as suggested recently. For long chains the q dependence is determined by the interplay of the exciton size and the bond-alternation length scales.     

Frenkel exciton model of electron energy loss spectroscopy in -PTCDA

Recent experimental findings concerning electron energy loss spectroscopy in -Perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride are analysed in terms of a Frenkel exciton model. Taking into account the energy dispersion of excitations with finite momentum transfer, the k-dependence of the dielectric tensor and the corresponding electron energy loss functions can be calculated. The exciton dispersion with a minimum at k≠0 yields a red shift of the lineshape of loss functions at large k, as observed experimentally.     

The adsorption of CO on Cu surfaces studied by electron energy loss spectroscopy

Electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS) in the energy range of electronic transitions (primary energy 30 < E₀ < 50 eV, resolution ΔE ≈ 0.3 eV) has been used to study the adsorption of CO on polycrystalline surfaces and on the low index faces (100), (110), (111) of Cu at 80 K. Also LEED patterns were investigated and thermal desorption was analyzed by means of the temperature dependence of three losses near 9, 12 and 14 eV characteristic for adsorbed CO. The 12 and 14 eV losses occur on all Cu surfaces in the whole coverage range; they are interpreted in terms of intramolecular transitions of the CO. The 9 eV loss is sensitive to the crystallographic type of Cu surface and to the coverage with CO. The interpretation in terms of d(Cu) → 2π¹(CO) charge transfer transitions allows conclusions concerning the adsorption site geometry. The ELS results are consistent with information obtained from LEED. On the (100) surface CO adsorption enhances the intensity of a bulk electronic transition near 4 eV at E₀ < 50 eV. This effect is interpreted within the framework of dielectric theory for surface scattering on the basis of the Cu electron energy band scheme.     

Azimuthal dependence of impact scattering in electron energy loss spectroscopy

The azimuthal dependence of electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) dipole and impact scattering intensity has been measured. Spectra for a saturation coverage of H adsorbed on W(110) exhibit loss peaks due to impact scattering from adsorbate vibrational modes. The intensity of the 160 meV loss peak has been measured as a function of the azimuthal angle between the scattering plane and a mirror plane of the $\text{s}$urface. The angular pattern has strong maxima oriented perpendicular to the <111 > rows of atoms on the surface, and has the C_2v symmetry of the W(110) surface. This azimuthal dependence is strikingly different from the nearly isotropic angular dependence of dipole scattering from Cl adsorbed on W(110). Selection rules for impact scattering account for the general features of the angular pattern based on asymmetric stretch modes associated with bridge site H atoms.We have shown that the azimuthal dependence of the 36 meV Cl/W(110) dipole scattering loss peak is isotropic and that the 160 meV H/W(110) impact scattering loss peak exhibits a striking azimuthal pattern with C_2v symmetry. The symmetry and deep minima suggest that selection rules play a central role in determining the azimuthal pattern. Application of these rules to two orthogonal directions (as in ref. 6) may be misleading, as is clear from Fig. 2, because essential features of the pattern will not be observed. Our analysis of the full pattern has suggested two bridge sites may be occupied at saturation coverage, but has still not resolved certain questions about the H/W(110) system.

1. Impact scattering selection rules for potential adsorbate sites. The listed directions are the intersections of the planes with the (110) surface for the mirror planes and the scattering planes, and the displacement directions for the adsorbate vibrational modes. Modes are assumed to be strictly parallel to the surface. The long bridge site is between two W atoms along the <001 > direction, the short bridge site is between two W atoms along the <$\text{111}\text{-}$ > direction, and the distorted bridge site is displaced from the long bridge site along the <$\text{110}\text{-}$ > direction (ref. 6) The asterisks (*) denote that the scattering amplitude is zero for all directions in the scattering plane, otherwise it is zero only in the specular direction. The <$\text{110}\text{-}$ > mode of the distorted bridge is not covered by the selection rules of ref. 2.

     

14.

Probing the electronic structure of ZnO nanowires by valence electron energy loss spectroscopy     

Wang J  Li Q  Egerton RF 《Micron (Oxford, England : 1993)》2007,38(4):346-353

Valence electron energy loss spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope is employed to investigate the electronic structure of ZnO nanowires with diameter ranging from 20 to 100 nm. Its excellent spatial resolution enables this technique to explore the electronic states of a single nanowire. We found that all of the basic electronic structure characteristics of the ZnO nanowires, including the 3.3 eV band gap, the single electron interband transitions at approximately = 9.5, approximately = 13.5,and approximately = 21.8 eV, and the bulk plasmon oscillation at approximately 18.8 eV, resemble those of the bulk ZnO. Momentum transfer resolved energy loss spectra suggest that the 13.5 eV excitation is actually consisted of two weak excitations at approximately = 12.8 and approximately = 14.8 eV, which originate from transitions of two groups of the Zn 3d electrons to the empty density of states in the conduction band, with a dipole-forbidden nature. The energy loss spectra taken from single nanowires of different diameters show several size-dependent features, including an increase in the oscillator strength of the surface plasmon resonance at approximately = 11.5 eV, a broadening of the bulk plasmon peak, and splitting of the O 2s transition at approximately = 21.8 eV into two peaks, which coincides with a redshift of the bulk plasmon peak, when the nanowire diameter decreases. All these observations can be well explained by the increased surface/volume ratio in nanowires of small diameter.     

15.

Vanadium valency and hybridization in V-doped hafnia investigated by electron energy loss spectroscopy     

A. Gloter  V. Serin  Ch. Turquat  C. Cesari  Ch. Leroux  G. Nihoul 《The European Physical Journal B - Condensed Matter and Complex Systems》2001,22(2):179-186

The valency of vanadium, and thus indirectly the oxygen stoichiometry, of V-doped hafnia synthesized under different atmospheres have been investigated on a nanometer scale by means of electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The EELS V L_2,3 spectra are compared with the results of crystal field multiplet calculations and experiments on reference vanadium oxides. The EELS spectra indicate that V-doped hafnia prepared under reducing (H₂) and neutral (Ar) atmosphere are unambiguously substituted with trivalent vanadium atoms leading to the creation of oxygen vacancies in the structure. On the contrary, stoichiometric (Hf, V)O₂ compound (i.e. V⁴⁺) is more likely to be stabilized under oxidative (air) atmospheres. We also show that the amount of hybridization alters for the different compounds studied but may in part be analyzed by high spatially resolved EELS. The crystal field multiplet calculations particularly indicate that a simple reduction of the Slater integrals gives a good account of the spectral modification induced by hybridization for the case of tetravalent vanadium atoms. Received 17 November 2000 and Received in final form 17 April 2001     

16.

Electronic excitation processes in rare gas clusters studied by electron energy loss spectroscopy     

Hayato Kubotera  Takayuki Tachibana 《Applied Surface Science》2009,256(4):1046-1049

We present the electron energy loss spectra for Ar clusters as a function of incident electron energy and of cluster size. In spectra measured with 100 eV incident electron energy the bulk excitation peak becomes visible for a mean cluster size above 170 atoms per cluster. For 250 eV incident electron energy the bulk excitation peak is clearly observable even for a mean cluster size of 120 atoms per cluster. These experimental results are qualitatively reproduced by a simple calculation that accounts for the mean free path of electrons in Ar clusters; i.e., the penetration depth of incident electrons into the cluster.     

17.

Hydrogen chemisorption on Ni(110) by high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy     

M. Nishijima  S. Masuda  M. Jo  M. Onchi 《Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena》1983,29(1):273-278

High-resolution electron energy loss spectra of hydrogen-covered Ni(110) surfaces both at 100 and 300 K are presented. The adsorbed sites of hydrogen atoms are discussed.High-resolution electron energy loss spectra of hydrogen covered Ni(110) surfaces have been studied. Tentative models for the adsorbed sites of hydrogen atoms are as follows: (1) For the (2 × 1)-H surface, hydrogen is adsorbed in the three-coordinated sites of the rudimentary (111) face of the unreconstructed Ni(110) substrate. (2) For the low-temperature (1 × 2)-H surface, hydrogen is adsorbed in the three-coordinated sites and, probably, in the two-fold hollow sites of the distorted Ni(110) substrate. (3) For the room-temperature (1 × 2)-H surface, hydrogen is disorderedly adsorbed in the three-coordinated, two-fold hollow and short-bridge sites and, possibly, in the octahedral sites of the distorted Ni(110) substrate. Some of the unresolved problems in the above assignments are summarized: (1) Strictly, the three-coordinated sites above are somewhat different from those discussed in the molecular-beam diffraction study [5]. (2) For the low-temperature (1 × 2)-H surface, the loss associated with hydrogen in the two-fold hollow sites is apparently not observed. (3) Intensity changes of the three losses for the room-temperature (1 × 2)-H surface with increasing hydrogen pressure (Fig. 2) are not well understood.     

18.

Ultrahigh-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy via digital signal processing techniques     

Wang Y  Weinberg WH 《Physical review letters》1992,69(23):3326-3329

     

19.

Low frequency surface resonance modes in electron energy loss spectroscopy     

Talat S. Rahman  D.L. Mills  J.E. Black 《Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena》1983,29(1):199-212

Electron energy loss spectroscopy has proved a powerful probe of vibrational modes of a wide variety of adsorbed species. Here the primary focus has been on modes with frequency well above the maximum phonon frequency of the substrate. Examples are internal vibration modes of adsorbed molecules, possibly shifted significantly in frequency from their gas phase analogues, and high frequency vibrations of an adsorbed molecule or atom against the substrate. Recent experiments explore features in the energy loss spectrum with frequency below the maximum phonon frequency of the substrate, for ordered overlayers of atoms adsorbed on low index metal surfaces. We shall summarize our theoretical studies of such spectra for several adsorbate/substrate combinations, with emphasis oh the physical origin of the features which appear in the calculations. We obtain a good account of the existing data, within the framework of a rather simple lattice dynamical model, and the calculations show that the features which appear are quite sensitive to the symmetry of the adsorption sits, and other details of the surface geometry. We shall illustrate this with several specific examples.     

20.

The adsorption of oxygen and carbon monoxide on cleaved polar and nonpolar ZnO surfaces studied by electron energy loss spectroscopy     

R Dorn  H Lüth 《Surface science》1977

Electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS) with primary energies e₀ ? 80 eV has been performed on ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) cleaved nonpolar (11?00) and polar zinc (0001) and oxygen (0001?) surfaces of ZnO to study the adsorption of oxygen and carbon monoxide. Except for CO on the nonpolar surface where no spectral changes in ELS are observed a surface transition near 11.5 eV is strongly affected at 300 K on all surfaces by CO and O₂. At 300 K clear evidence for new adsorbate characteristic transitions is found for oxygen adsorbed on the Zn polar surface near 7 and 11 eV. At 100 K on all three surfaces both CO and O₂ adsorb in thick layers and produce loss spectra very similar to the gas phase, thus indicating a physisorbed state.     

SITE	LONG BRIDGE	SHORT BRIDGE	DISTORTED BRIDGE
MIRROR PLANES	[001], [1$\text{1}\text{-}$0]	NONE	[1$\text{1}\text{-}$0]
2-FOLD ABOUT Z	YES	YES	NO
PARALLEL MODES	[001]	[1$\text{1}\text{-}$0]	[1$\text{1}\text{-}$1]	[$\text{1}\text{-}$12]	[001]	[1$\text{1}\text{-}$0]
DIRECTIONS OF ZERO SCATTERING	[001] * [1$\text{1}\text{-}$0]	[001] * [1$\text{1}\text{-}$0]	[1$\text{1}\text{-}$1] [$\text{1}\text{-}$12]	[1$\text{1}\text{-}$1] [$\text{1}\text{-}$12]	[001] * [1$\text{1}\text{-}$0]	NA

Probing the electronic structure of ZnO nanowires by valence electron energy loss spectroscopy

Valence electron energy loss spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope is employed to investigate the electronic structure of ZnO nanowires with diameter ranging from 20 to 100 nm. Its excellent spatial resolution enables this technique to explore the electronic states of a single nanowire. We found that all of the basic electronic structure characteristics of the ZnO nanowires, including the 3.3 eV band gap, the single electron interband transitions at approximately = 9.5, approximately = 13.5,and approximately = 21.8 eV, and the bulk plasmon oscillation at approximately 18.8 eV, resemble those of the bulk ZnO. Momentum transfer resolved energy loss spectra suggest that the 13.5 eV excitation is actually consisted of two weak excitations at approximately = 12.8 and approximately = 14.8 eV, which originate from transitions of two groups of the Zn 3d electrons to the empty density of states in the conduction band, with a dipole-forbidden nature. The energy loss spectra taken from single nanowires of different diameters show several size-dependent features, including an increase in the oscillator strength of the surface plasmon resonance at approximately = 11.5 eV, a broadening of the bulk plasmon peak, and splitting of the O 2s transition at approximately = 21.8 eV into two peaks, which coincides with a redshift of the bulk plasmon peak, when the nanowire diameter decreases. All these observations can be well explained by the increased surface/volume ratio in nanowires of small diameter.     

Vanadium valency and hybridization in V-doped hafnia investigated by electron energy loss spectroscopy

The valency of vanadium, and thus indirectly the oxygen stoichiometry, of V-doped hafnia synthesized under different atmospheres have been investigated on a nanometer scale by means of electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The EELS V L_2,3 spectra are compared with the results of crystal field multiplet calculations and experiments on reference vanadium oxides. The EELS spectra indicate that V-doped hafnia prepared under reducing (H₂) and neutral (Ar) atmosphere are unambiguously substituted with trivalent vanadium atoms leading to the creation of oxygen vacancies in the structure. On the contrary, stoichiometric (Hf, V)O₂ compound (i.e. V⁴⁺) is more likely to be stabilized under oxidative (air) atmospheres. We also show that the amount of hybridization alters for the different compounds studied but may in part be analyzed by high spatially resolved EELS. The crystal field multiplet calculations particularly indicate that a simple reduction of the Slater integrals gives a good account of the spectral modification induced by hybridization for the case of tetravalent vanadium atoms. Received 17 November 2000 and Received in final form 17 April 2001     

Electronic excitation processes in rare gas clusters studied by electron energy loss spectroscopy

We present the electron energy loss spectra for Ar clusters as a function of incident electron energy and of cluster size. In spectra measured with 100 eV incident electron energy the bulk excitation peak becomes visible for a mean cluster size above 170 atoms per cluster. For 250 eV incident electron energy the bulk excitation peak is clearly observable even for a mean cluster size of 120 atoms per cluster. These experimental results are qualitatively reproduced by a simple calculation that accounts for the mean free path of electrons in Ar clusters; i.e., the penetration depth of incident electrons into the cluster.     

Hydrogen chemisorption on Ni(110) by high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy

High-resolution electron energy loss spectra of hydrogen-covered Ni(110) surfaces both at 100 and 300 K are presented. The adsorbed sites of hydrogen atoms are discussed.High-resolution electron energy loss spectra of hydrogen covered Ni(110) surfaces have been studied. Tentative models for the adsorbed sites of hydrogen atoms are as follows: (1) For the (2 × 1)-H surface, hydrogen is adsorbed in the three-coordinated sites of the rudimentary (111) face of the unreconstructed Ni(110) substrate. (2) For the low-temperature (1 × 2)-H surface, hydrogen is adsorbed in the three-coordinated sites and, probably, in the two-fold hollow sites of the distorted Ni(110) substrate. (3) For the room-temperature (1 × 2)-H surface, hydrogen is disorderedly adsorbed in the three-coordinated, two-fold hollow and short-bridge sites and, possibly, in the octahedral sites of the distorted Ni(110) substrate. Some of the unresolved problems in the above assignments are summarized: (1) Strictly, the three-coordinated sites above are somewhat different from those discussed in the molecular-beam diffraction study [5]. (2) For the low-temperature (1 × 2)-H surface, the loss associated with hydrogen in the two-fold hollow sites is apparently not observed. (3) Intensity changes of the three losses for the room-temperature (1 × 2)-H surface with increasing hydrogen pressure (Fig. 2) are not well understood.     

Low frequency surface resonance modes in electron energy loss spectroscopy

Electron energy loss spectroscopy has proved a powerful probe of vibrational modes of a wide variety of adsorbed species. Here the primary focus has been on modes with frequency well above the maximum phonon frequency of the substrate. Examples are internal vibration modes of adsorbed molecules, possibly shifted significantly in frequency from their gas phase analogues, and high frequency vibrations of an adsorbed molecule or atom against the substrate. Recent experiments explore features in the energy loss spectrum with frequency below the maximum phonon frequency of the substrate, for ordered overlayers of atoms adsorbed on low index metal surfaces. We shall summarize our theoretical studies of such spectra for several adsorbate/substrate combinations, with emphasis oh the physical origin of the features which appear in the calculations. We obtain a good account of the existing data, within the framework of a rather simple lattice dynamical model, and the calculations show that the features which appear are quite sensitive to the symmetry of the adsorption sits, and other details of the surface geometry. We shall illustrate this with several specific examples.     

The adsorption of oxygen and carbon monoxide on cleaved polar and nonpolar ZnO surfaces studied by electron energy loss spectroscopy

Electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS) with primary energies e₀ ? 80 eV has been performed on ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) cleaved nonpolar (11?00) and polar zinc (0001) and oxygen (0001?) surfaces of ZnO to study the adsorption of oxygen and carbon monoxide. Except for CO on the nonpolar surface where no spectral changes in ELS are observed a surface transition near 11.5 eV is strongly affected at 300 K on all surfaces by CO and O₂. At 300 K clear evidence for new adsorbate characteristic transitions is found for oxygen adsorbed on the Zn polar surface near 7 and 11 eV. At 100 K on all three surfaces both CO and O₂ adsorb in thick layers and produce loss spectra very similar to the gas phase, thus indicating a physisorbed state.