Electron Energy-Loss Spectroscopy Method for Thin-Film Thickness Calculations with a Low Incident Energy Electron Beam

In this study, the thickness of a thin film (tc) at a low primary electron energy of less than or equal to 10 keV was calculated using electron energy-loss spectroscopy. This method uses the ratio of the intensity of the transmitted background spectrum to the intensity of the transmission electrons with zero-loss energy (elastic) in the presence of an accurate average inelastic free path length (lambda). The Monte Carlo model was used to simulate the interaction between the electron beam and the tested thin films. The total background of the transmitted electrons is considered to be the electron transmitting the film with an energy above 50 eV to eliminate the effect of the secondary electrons. The method was used at low primary electron energy to measure the thickness (t) of C, Si, Cr, Cu, Ag, and Au films below 12 nm. For the C and Si films, the accuracy of the thickness calculation increased as the energy of the primary electrons and thickness of the film increased. However, for heavy elements, the accuracy of the film thickness calculations increased as the primary electron energy increased and the film thickness decreased. High accuracy (with 2% uncertainty) in the measurement of C and Si thin films was observed at large thicknesses and 10 keV, where t lambda approximate to 1. However, in the case of heavy-element films, the highest accuracy (with an uncertainty below 8%) was found for thin thicknesses and 10 keV, where t lambda <= 0.29. The present results show that an accurate film thickness measurement can be obtained at primary electron energy equal to or less than 10 keV and a ratio of t lambda <= 2. This method demonstrates the potential of low-loss electron energy-loss spectroscopy in transmission electron microscopy as a fast and straightforward method for determining the thin-film thickness of the material under investigation at low primary electron energies.