Study of electron beam effects on surfaces using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS)

Discrepancies in the surface analyses of oxidised or heavily contaminated materials have been observed between X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and techniques using electron beams (primarily Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES)). These discrepancies can be ascribed to the influence of the primary electron beam and to illustrate the various types of electron effects different materials were analysed using XPS and Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) before and after large area electron bombardment. The materials used included chrome and stainless steels, nickel, platinum, glass and brass. (author)