Auger electron spectroscopy principles

There is now available a substantial amount of information on the principles and techniques involved in preparing evaporated alloy films suitable for adsorption or catalytic work, although some preparative methods, e.g., vapor quenching, used in other research fields have not yet been adopted. Alloy films have been characterized with respect to bulk properties, e.g., uniformity of composition, phase separation, crystallite orientation, and surface areas have been measured. Direct quantitative measurements of surface composition have not been made on alloy films prepared for catalytic studies, but techniques, e.g., Auger electron spectroscopy, are available. 

As representative techniques of the second group, we discuss two methods x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), sometimes referred to as electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The main principle of the first method (XPS) is the excitation of electrons in an atom or molecule by x-rays. The resulting electrons carry energy away according to the formula... 

The other method. Auger electron spectroscopy, is considered appropriate for studying the chemical makeup (composition) of surfaces, with a sensitivity down to 1% of a single atomic layer (monolayer). It is also easier to perform than many other methods of surface studies of the present group. It is based on the principle that if an... 

Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are the two principle surface analysis techniques. They are used to identify the elemental composition, i.e., the amount and nature of species present at the surface to a depth of about 1 nm. 

Porous anodic alumina is a very promising material for nanoelectronics. The injection of different types of impurities inside an alumina matrix can substantially improve its electrophysical properties. It is very important to study the local environment (chemical bonds, electronic structure, etc.) of injected atoms for understanding physical principles of the electronic elements formation. A number of techniques can be used to determine a chemical state of atoms in near surface layers. The most informative and precise technique is X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. At the same time, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) is also used for a chemical analysis [1] and can be even applicable for an analysis of dielectrics. The chemical state analysis of Ti and Cu atoms implanted into anodic aliunina films was carried out in this work by means of AES. 

Various interactions between electron beams and the samples are schematically illustrated in Fig. 6. In this section, operating principles and characteristics of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), which are often used for the analyses of corrosion and surface finishing, are described. 

ABSTRACT. The paper details the use of scanning electron microscopy, surface reflectance infrared spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, ion scattering spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in the analysis of polymeric adhesives and composites. A brief review of the principle of each surface analytical technique will be followed by application of the technique to interfacial adhesion with an emphasis on polymer/metal, fiber/matrix, and composite/composite adhesion. 

The principle of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) is illustrated schematically in Figure 7. Here, a primary beam of electrons incident on a solid results in the emission of secondary (or Auger) electrons from the top 5 nm of the sample. The energy of the Auger electrons is characteristic of elements contained in the outer surface. Both elemental identification and atomic concentrations can be obtained from AES. The AES technique is not widely used in post-failure analysis of adhesively bonded... 

Chourasia, A. R., and D. R. Chopra. Auger Electron Spectroscopy. In Handbook of Instrumental Techniques for Analytical Chemistry, edited by Frank Settle. New York Prentice Hall Professional Reference, 1997. This chapter provides a thorough and systematic description of the principles and practical methods of Auger spectroscopy, including its common applications and limitations. 

Fig. 4. Schematic representation of the principle of the different core level spectroscopies. Lower part (See caption of fig. 3.) (a) and (b) SXE soft X-ray emission, (a) and (c) AES Auger electron spectroscopy, (d) XPS X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, (e) SXA soft X-ray absorption, (f) EELS electron energy loss spectroscopy. Upper part (See caption of fig. 3.) Half-filled rectangle excited final state with the same electron count as in the initial state, (e), (f). Divided rectangle final state with two electrons less than in the initial state (see also fig. 19b).

Characterization and analysis are performed using the following surface science techniques temperature programmed desorption/reaction (TPD/TPR), pulsed molecular beam reactive scattering (pMBRS) (IRRAS), metastable impact electron spectroscopy (MIES), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and auger electron spectroscopy (AES). First the experimental setup is briefly described, followed by the support preparation and characterization as well procedures utilized in this work. These descriptions include a concise introduction to the underlying physical principles of the applied techniques (including experimental details). 

Photoelectron Spectroscopy. As a subdivision of electron spectroscopy, photoelectron or photoemission spectroscopy (PES) includes those instruments that use a photon source to eject electrons from surface atoms. The techniques of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and uv photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) are the principles in this group. Auger electrons are emitted also because of x-ray bombardment, but this combination is used infrequent-... 

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