Analysis of VEEL spectra of diamond using a dedicated STEM: isolation of Čerenkov loss contributions

Abstract

The analysis of multiple EEL (electron energy-loss) spectra often requires normalisation of data to eliminate, for example, relative variations in thickness. In this case, data would only be reliable if it were normalised to a region in the spectrum, where the intensity varied with thickness alone. This raises the question of where an appropriate region is located, from which to extract the normalisation constants. The introduction of structure into the spectrum at certain thicknesses, such as energy lost via Cerenkov radiation emission, are clear regions to avoid. Identifying energy-loss contributions in the valence band region will provide further clarification for this process.