  The aim of the present overview article is to raise awareness of an essential
aspect that is usually not accounted for in the modelling of electron transport
for focused-electron-beam-induced deposition (FEBID) of nanostructures: surface
excitations are on the one hand responsible for a sizeable fraction of the
intensity in reflection-electron-energy-loss spectra for primary electron
energies of up to a few keV and, on the other hand, they play a key role in the
emission of secondary electrons from solids, regardless of the primary energy.
In this overview work we present a general perspective of recent works on the
subject of surface excitations and on low-energy electron transport,
highlighting the most relevant aspects for the modelling of electron transport
in FEBID simulations.
