Modeling of elastic and inelastic electron backscattering from surfaces

In the above problems, calculations are usually based on the Monte Carlo simulations schemes, in which we need different parameters characterizing the interactions of electrons in the solid: elastic and inelastic scattering cross sections, energy dependence of the inelastic mean free path, ionization cross sections, etc. Reliability of the quantitative analysis depends on the accuracy of these parameters. Recent advances in this field are briefly reviewed. Particular stress is put on the determination of the elastic scattering cross sections. There is a growing interest in analytical methods based on the effect of elastic electron backscattering. They are presently known under the acronym EPES (Elastic Peak Electron Spectroscopy). An important application of this technique is the determination of the inelastic mean free path from the measured probability of elastic backscattering.