Surface excitations in the modelling of electron transport for electron- beam-induced deposition experiments

Abstract: The aim of the present overview article is to raise awareness of an essential aspect that is usually not accounted for in the modelling of electron transport for focused-electron-beam-induced deposition (FEBID) of nanostructures: surface excitations are on the one hand responsible for a sizeable fraction of the intensity in reflection-electron-energy-loss spectra for primary electron energies of up to a few keV and, on the other hand, they play a key role in the emission of secondary electrons from solids, regardless of the primary energy. In this overview work we present a general perspective of recent works on the subject of surface excitations and on low-energy electron transport, highlighting the most relevant aspects for the modelling of electron transport in FEBID simulations.