Resolution of Auger and X-ray photoelectron spectra of mixtures by spectral ratioing

Abstract

A method is described for resolving multicomponent Auger or X-ray photoelectron spectra into spectra of the pure components. The method begins by computing spectral ratios from two multicomponent spectra which contain the same unidentified components, but in different proportions. One requirement of the method is that a spectral region must exist for each component where only that component contributes to the signal. A second requirement is that the inelastic energy loss background must be suppressed. An appropriate background suppression method is presented for ESCA (Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis) survey spectra. Spectral ratioing is applied to Auger and ESCA spectra to identify surface segregates on heat-treated alloy steels.