The experimental electron mean-free-path in Si under typical (S)TEM conditions

The electron mean-free-path in Si was measured by EELS using the test structure with the certified dimensions as a calibration standard. In a good agreement with the previous CBED measurements, the mean-free-path is 150nm for 200keV and 179nm for 300keV energy of primary electrons at large collection angles. These values are accurately predicted by the model of Iakoubovskii et al. while the model of Malis et al. incorporated in common microscopy software underestimates the mean-free-path by 15% at least. Correspondingly, the thickness of TEM samples reported in many studies of the Si-based materials last decades might be noticeably underestimated. •The electron inelastic mean-free-path in Si is measured for the typical (S)TEM conditions.•These reference values allow for accurate determination of the lamella thickness by EELS.•The theoretical model by Malis et al. underestimates the mean-free-path values.