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Proposition of an algorithm for calculating the surface composition from auger electron intensities
Author(s) -
Jabłolński Aleksander
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
surface and interface analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1096-9918
pISSN - 0142-2421
DOI - 10.1002/sia.740040403
Subject(s) - auger , surface (topology) , electron , chemistry , auger electron spectroscopy , composition (language) , atomic physics , inelastic mean free path , fortran , monolayer , analytical chemistry (journal) , computational physics , mean free path , physics , geometry , mathematics , nuclear physics , linguistics , philosophy , biochemistry , chromatography , computer science , operating system
Following the practice of electron probe microanalysis, a universal computer program is proposed which calculates the surface composition of binary alloys from the measured Auger electron intensities. The program can be applied for the usual experimental procedures, i.e. the relative sensitivity factor approach, and the direct comparison with a standard. The calculations are made for two models of the surface region; firstly, a uniform composition within the sampling depth of Auger electrons, and secondly, surface enrichment limited to the first monolayer. The relation of the Auger electron intensity to the surface concentration is expressed in terms of three matrix dependent correcting factors; the backscattering factor, the inelastic mean free path and the total number of atoms in a unit volume. The backscattering factor is assumed to vary linearly with the mass fraction of a given element in the bulk. The corrections for inelastic mean free path and number of atoms per unit volume are calculated for the bulk composition or the surface composition depending on the model of the surface region. The EXTENDED FORTRAN program, in addition to calculating the surface composition, has other auxiliary facilities such as plotting the calculated results, and calculating the extent of surface segregation when the model of monolayer enrichment is not valid.