Energy loss and angular dispersion of 2-200 keV protons in amorphous silicon

The energy loss of 2-200 keV protons in thin amorphous silicon foils has been measured for projectiles transmitted in the forward direction and as a function of the exit angle. At the lowest energies, differences of up to 30% with recently published values are observed. Angular effects in the energy loss, at low and high energies, have been investigated. The low-energy results are reproduced by model calculations and Monte Carlo simulations, which indicate that the inelastic energy loss does not show a dependence upon the impact parameter in the low energy region. A fitting formula for the present energy loss values is provided. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.