Inelastic electron interactions in the energy range 50 eV to 10 keV in insulators: Alkali halides and metal oxides

Calculations of electron inelastic mean free paths and stopping powers for several alkali halides (KF, KCl, KBr, and KI) and metal oxides (BeO, MgO, SiO2, and Al2O3) have been performed in the 50 eV to 10 keV energy range. The complex dielectric formalism, improved to include the energy gap, was used for estimating the valence part of the transport characteristics, whereas the part related to electron-core interactions was evaluated according to Gryzinski's theory. An extended comparison of these calculations with the available experimental data as well as with other theoretical predictions is presented. Trends of the energy dependence of the inelastic mean free path and stopping power in alkali halides are studied. The role of the plasmon deexcitation process as a source for low-energy electrons in secondary electron emission spectra is discussed. The presented data can be used in Monte-Carlo simulations of electron transport in the considered materials.