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Simultaneous background subtraction and depth profile determination from AES/XPS measurements
Author(s) -
Werner Wolfgang S. M.,
Tilinin Igor S.,
Beilschmidt Herbert,
Hayek Markus
Publication year - 1994
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.740210805
Subject(s) - monte carlo method , inelastic scattering , computational physics , physics , elastic scattering , scattering , background subtraction , photoelectric effect , electron , atomic physics , optics , nuclear physics , mathematics , statistics , pixel
A general expression for the energy and angular distribution of Auger/photoelectrons emitted from a specimen with an arbitrary depth profile is presented. The central quantities in this expression are the so‐called partial escape distributions, which describe the probability that a signal electron generated in a certain depth interval escapes from the surface with a direction in a certain angular interval after experiencing a certain number of inelastic scattering processes. The partial escape distributions accounting for elastic scattering are calculated in the transport approximation. Comparison of analytical calculations with Monte Carlo data based on the more relastic Mott crosssection for elastic scattering yields excellent agreement. As an illustration of the general approach, the energy/angular spectrum of a sample with a model depth profile has been evaluated using analytical calculations and Monte Carlo data. The results obtained show that the proposed formalism properly accounts for elastic and inelastic processes and correctly predicts the shape of the energy distribution in the vicinity of the peak. It is, moreover, shown that the true intrinsic spectrum and depth profile may be reconstructed simultaneously from the measured energy/angular distribution of emitted electrons.