A promising concept for using near-surface measuring angles in angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy considering elastic scattering effects

Journal Article · Tue Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 2011 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3544002· OSTI ID:21538090

Oswald, S; Oswald, F ^[1]

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1. IFW Dresden, Postfach 270116, D-01171 Dresden (Germany)

The increasing number of applications of very thin films requires both reliable thin-layer and interface characterization. A powerful method for characterization in the nanometer thickness range is the angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS). This is a nondestructive depth-profiling method, which can provide elemental content as well as chemical information. Two of the drawbacks of ARXPS are, that it requires dedicated mathematical modeling and that, at least up until now, its use has been restricted away from near-surface angles. In this paper we present a method for the mathematical description of a few, hitherto unaccounted, measurement effects in order to improve the simulations of ARXPS data for complex surface structures. As an immediate application, we propose a simple algorithm to consider the effects of elastic scattering in the standard ARXPS data interpretation, which in principle would allow the use of the whole angular range for the analysis; thus leading to a significant increase in the usable information content from the measurements. The potential of this approach is demonstrated with model calculations for a few thin film examples.

• OSTI ID: 21538090
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 109, Issue 3; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3544002; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ALGORITHMS
DEPTH
ELASTIC SCATTERING
GAMMA RADIATION
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
IN VITRO
INTERFACES
RADIATION DOSES
RADIATION SOURCES
RECOMMENDATIONS
RESOURCES
SHIELDING
STATE GOVERNMENT
STRAINS
THICKNESS
THIN FILMS
TUBERS
X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
DIMENSIONS
DOSES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
FILMS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
RADIATIONS
SCATTERING
SPECTROSCOPY