Auger electron spectroscopy
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Auger electron spectroscopy is a common analytical technique used specifically in the study of surfaces and, more generally, in the area of materials science. It is a form of electron spectroscopy tha
A Hanford scientist uses an Auger electron spectrometer to determine the elemental composition of surfaces.
Figure 3. Auger spectrum of a copper nitride film in derivative mode plotted as a function of energy. Different peaks for Cu and N are apparent with the N KLL transition highlighted.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is a surface-sensitive quantitative spectroscopic technique that measures the very topmost 50–60 atoms, 5–10 nm of any surface. It belongs to the family of photoemissi
Auger electron spectroscopy
…deconvolution of the two peaks becomes extremely difficult. For such spectra, additional analysis through chemical sensitive surface techniques like x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is often required to disentangle the peaks. Sometimes an Auger spectrum can also exhibit "satellite" peaks at well-defined off-set energies from…
An inside view of an old-type, non-monochromatic XPS system.
Example of an X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer
Wide-scan or survey spectrum of a somewhat dirty silicon wafer, showing all elements present. A survey spectrum is usually the starting point of most XPS analyses. It allows one to set up subsequent high-resolution XPS spectra acquisition. The inset shows a quantification table indicating the atomic species, their atomic percentages and characteristic binding energies.
High-resolution spectrum of an oxidized silicon wafer in the energy range of the Si 2p signal. The raw data spectrum (red) is fitted with five components or chemical states, A through E. The more oxidized forms of Si (SiOx, x = 1–2) appear at higher binding energies in the broad feature centered at 103.67 eV. The so-called metallic form of silicon, which resides below an upper layer of oxidized silicon, exhibits a set of doublet peaks at 100.30 eV (Si 2