Au L α and L β and Ag L-shell x-ray production cross-sections by electron impact have been measured in the incident energy region from near threshold to about 25 keV. Thin films with thick aluminium substrates were used as targets in the experiments. The effect of directional and energy spreading of the electron beam within the active films and x-ray enhancement due to backscattering electrons and bremsstrahlung photons from the substrates are corrected by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The corrected experimental data provided by this method are compared with calculated cross-sections from a PWBA theory with Coulomb, relativistic and exchange corrections and with other experimental data available in the literature.

The measurement of Lα, Lβ x-ray production cross sections for the element Pb (Z = 82) by 16–40 keV electron impact is reported in this paper. The target used in the experiment was prepared by evaporating the elemental Pb onto a thick pure carbon substrate. The effects of multiple scattering of electrons when penetrating the target film, of electrons reflected from the thick pure carbon substrate and of bremsstrahlung photons produced by the impact of incident electrons on the target are corrected using the Monte Carlo method. The experimental data, reported here for the first time in the energy region of interest, are compared with the plane-wave Born approximation theory with exchange, Coulomb and relativistic corrections. They are in good agreement.

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Lα, Lβ x-ray production cross-sections for Gd (Z = 64) and W (Z = 74) by electron impact up to 40 keV have been measured. Thin films with thick carbon substrates were used as targets in the experiments. The effects of multiple scattering of electrons when penetrating the target film, of electrons reflected from the thick pure carbon substrate and of bremsstrahlung photons produced by the impact of incident electrons on the target were corrected by means of Monte Carlo simulation. For Gd L-shell x-ray characteristic peaks, the spectra were fitted by using spectrum-fitting program ALLFIT to extract more accurately the Lα and Lβ peak counts. The experimental data are compared with the DWBA theory and the PWBA–C–Ex theory and available experimental data from the literature.