Photoelectron signals procedures

In X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or X-PES), the irradiation (usually a Mg K a (1253.6 eV) or A1K a (1486.6 eV) source) causes a core electron to be ejected. This is a more useful technique than UPS for surface studies, since the binding energies of core electrons are characteristic of the elements in question and surface elements can thus be identified by the traditional spectroscopic fingerprinting procedure. In this respect, XPS is sometimes referred to by its alternative name, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). In order to emphasis the contribution from surface atoms, the X-ray beam is usually set at a grazing angle to the surface. Most of the signal originates from within a nanometre of the surface. 

For a correct analysis of photoionization processes studied by electron spectrometry, convolution procedures are essential because of the combined influence of several distinct energy distribution functions which enter the response signal of the electron spectrometer. In the following such a convolution procedure will be formulated for the general case of photon-induced two-electron emission needed for electron-electron coincidence measurements. As a special application, the convolution results for the non-coincident observation of photoelectrons or Auger electrons, and for photoelectrons in coincidence with subsequent Auger electrons are worked out. Finally, the convolutions of two Gaussian and of two Lorentzian functions are treated. 

Photoelectron intensities detected by ESCA are convoluted signals, i.e. all atoms within the path of the probing X-ray contribute to the signal but the contribution of each decreases exponentially with the distance from the free surface.(lO) The convoluted nature of the signal distorts depth profiles for samples with compositional gradients. To recover the depth profiles for such samples, a deconvolution procedure was applied to the ESCA data.(9)... 

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