Growth and Trends in Auger Electron Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have been productive tools for a large variety of scientific and technological purposes since commercial instruments became available almost 40 years ago. A brief overview of the early history of AES and XPS is given and subsequent instrumental advances summarized. Advances made in quantitative AES and XPS to calibrate instruments, assess surface sensitivity, determine film thicknesses, evaluate elastic-scattering effects, and determine sample morphology are described together with analytical resources that are now available. Information is given on a new database for the Simulation of Electron Spectra for Surface Analysis (SESSA) and its use to assess the distinguishability of different N composition profiles in SiON films on Si by angle-resolved XPS. Finally, some remarks on the future of AES and XPS for surface analysis are presented.