Auger electron spectroscopy
abbr., AES
(rus. электронная Оже-спектроскопия otherwise Оже-спектроскопия abbr., ЭОС)
— a method to analyse the structure of matter by the electron energy spectra resultant from the Auger effect when a sample is exposed to high energy beams 
– of quanta, ions and electrons.
– of quanta, ions and electrons.
Description
This method is based on the Auger effect, discovered by French physicist Pierre Victor Auger in the 1920s. In this phenomenon, when a sample is exposed to a beam of high-energy 
emitted electrons, the example shown in Fig. a, the binding energy of levels involved can be estimated as follows 
, where 
is the work function of material. It is worth noting that the equation gives a rough estimate, since it does not take into account that electrons are emitted from an ion, and not from a neutral atom. Ionisation of atoms leads to a shift of electronic levels down, which naturally affects the energy of the emitted Auger electrons. The Auger spectroscopy method is widely used in R&D labs, as well as in the chemical and metal industries and microelectronics due to the high surface sensitivity, the obtainability of quantitative information, and the usability of the method.
emitted electrons, the example shown in Fig. a, the binding energy of levels involved can be estimated as follows , where is the work function of material. It is worth noting that the equation gives a rough estimate, since it does not take into account that electrons are emitted from an ion, and not from a neutral atom. Ionisation of atoms leads to a shift of electronic levels down, which naturally affects the energy of the emitted Auger electrons. The Auger spectroscopy method is widely used in R&D labs, as well as in the chemical and metal industries and microelectronics due to the high surface sensitivity, the obtainability of quantitative information, and the usability of the method. Illustrations
|
а, б — schematic diagrams showing two competing processes of relaxation of an excited atom (auger emission and x-ray fluorescence). Silicon is used as an example. Energy of auger electrons KL1L2,3 is estimated at 1591 eV, while energy of x-ray quanta is 1690 eV. c — Schematic diagram of L2,3VV auger transmission. |
Authors
- Zotov Andrey V.
- Saranin Alexander A.
Sources
- D. Briggs, M. P. Seah Practical Surface Analysis: Auger and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. - Wiley, 1990. - 657 pp.
- Oura K. et al. Surface Science: An Introduction // Springer, 2010 - 452 pp.
