Quantitative Auger Electron Spectroscopy

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews Auger electron emission from a target subjected to electron bombardment. It is noted that the chapter considers the Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) without reference to the excitation mode throughout, in order to denote the analysis technique developed for electron-induced Auger electron emission. An Auger transition can essentially occur when a vacancy is produced in an inner subshell of an atom. This atom, being in an unstable state, can try to revert to a lower energy state by filling up its vacancy with an outer shell electron. There are two ways for the atom to get rid of its excess energy— namely, by emitting a photon, commonly referred as X-ray fluorescence or by emitting a second outer shell electron, referred as Auger transition. The two major features of AES include: the energy of the Auger electron characterizes the nature of the emitter atom and eventually its chemical environment, and the electrons emitted from the target with this characteristic energy can only emerge from the outermost atom layers at the surface.