Abstract. Background: Monte Carlo simulations of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images ignore most surface effects, such as surface plasmons. Previous experiments have shown that surface plasmons play an important role in the emission of secondary electrons (SEs). Aim: We investigate the influence of incorporating surface plasmons into simulations of low-voltage critical dimension SEM (CD-SEM). Approach: We use a modified inelastic scattering model, derived for infinite flat surfaces, and apply it to nonflat, but smooth, geometries. This simplification captures most qualitative effects, including both surface plasmons and a reduced interaction with bulk plasmons near interfaces. Results: We find that the SE signal hardly changes when surface interactions are turned on for a perpendicularly incident beam. When the incident beam is perfectly parallel to a surface, the SE signal does significantly increase. However, the beam must be extremely close to the surface for this effect to be appreciable. An SEM is unable to produce a beam that is both narrow and parallel enough to be noticeably affected. Conclusions: The position of edges may appear shifted under specific circumstances. In realistic situations, it is unlikely to be a large effect.

中文翻译：

---

扫描电子显微镜图像模拟中的表面效应

摘要。背景：扫描电子显微镜 (SEM) 图像的蒙特卡罗模拟忽略了大多数表面效应，例如表面等离子体。先前的实验表明，表面等离子激元在二次电子 (SE) 的发射中起重要作用。目的：我们研究了将表面等离子体结合到低压临界尺寸 SEM (CD-SEM) 模拟中的影响。方法：我们使用改进的非弹性散射模型，该模型派生为无限平坦的表面，并将其应用于非平坦但光滑的几何形状。这种简化捕获了大多数定性效应，包括表面等离子体和界面附近与体等离子体的相互作用减少。结果：我们发现，当垂直入射光束打开表面相互作用时，SE 信号几乎没有变化。当入射光束完全平行于表面时，SE 信号确实显着增加。但是，光束必须非常靠近表面才能使这种效果明显。SEM 无法产生既窄又平行的光束，足以受到明显影响。结论：在特定情况下，边缘的位置可能会出现偏移。在现实情况下，它不太可能产生很大的影响。