Chemical state analysis of metal and oxide surface layers using Auger parameters from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Abstract Comparison of the relative kinetic energies of photoelectron and Auger peaks from the same element in XPS, the Auger parameter, provides unique chemical information on the top 10 nm of the surface. The Auger parameter is related directly to the extra atomic relaxation and polarization energies of the element, as presented in a chemical state plot. Previous Auger parameter studies (Wagner 1975; West & Castle 1982) have assumed a homogeneous concentration and chemical state for each element; however, in many surface analysis applications the distributions are not perfectly uniform and conventional Auger parameter analysis is not suitable.