Observation of Fine Structure in Auger Electron Spectra for Chemical State Analysis

Abstract

Cooperative researches by 8 laboratories were carried out to observe fine structure in Auger spectra for chemical state analysis. In general, structure due to chemical effects can be observed from metals and non metals in conventional electron excited AES.
After the observations of fine structure in AES by using Au, Fe, Ni, Al and their oxide samples, the following results could be obtained.
1) When the instrumental condition and the sample position are normalized by the electron elastic scattering profile, the energy observed with various instruments have the almost same value.
2) Auger profile (peak intensity) varies according to the instruments and the measuring conditions utilized.
3) When sharp Auger spectra appear at the close energy range each other as the case of Fe LMV/Fe LMM, the differrence of the spectral intensity ratio between metal and oxide samples is small, but the small deviation of them, as the case of Fe LVV/Fe LMM whose energy is not close as the case of Fe LMV/Fe LMM, can be applied to the chemical state analysis.