ASTM_E_1217_-_11.pdf

Designation:E121711Standard Practice forDetermination of the Specimen Area Contributing to theDetected Signal in Auger Electron Spectrometers and SomeX-Ray Photoelectron Spectrometers1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1217;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This practice describes methods for determining thespecimen area contributing to the detected signal in Augerelectron spectrometers and some types of X-ray photoelectronspectrometers(spectrometer analysis area)when this area isdefined by the electron collection lens and aperture system ofthe electron energy analyzer.The practice is applicable only tothose X-ray photoelectron spectrometers in which the speci-men area excited by the incident X-ray beam is larger than thespecimen area viewed by the analyzer,in which the photoelec-trons travel in a field-free region from the specimen to theanalyzer entrance.Some of the methods described here requirean auxiliary electron gun mounted to produce an electron beamof variable energy on the specimen(“electron-gun method”).Other experiments require a sample with a sharp edge,such asa wafer covered with a uniform clean layer(for example,gold(Au)or silver(Ag)and cleaved to obtain a long side(“sharp-edge method”).1.2 This practice is recommended as a useful means fordetermining the specimen area viewed by the analyzer fordifferent conditions of spectrometer operation,for verifyingadequate specimen and beam alignment,and for characterizingthe imaging properties of the electron energy analyzer.1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E673 Terminology Relating to Surface Analysis(Withdrawn2012)3E1016 Guide for Literature Describing Properties of Elec-trostatic Electron Spectrometers2.2 ISO Standards:4ISO 18115:2001 Surface Chemical AnalysisVocabularyISO 18516:2006 Surface Chemical Analysis Auger Elec-tron Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Determination of Lateral Resolution3.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsSeeTerminologyE673andISO 18115:2001 for terms used inAuger electron spectroscopyand X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.4.Summary of Practice4.1 Electron-Gun MethodAn electron beam with a se-lected energy is scanned across the surface of a test specimen.The beam may be scanned once,that is,a line scan,or in apattern,that is,rastered.As the electron beam is deflectedacross the specimen surface,measurements are made of theintensities detected by the electron energy analyzer as afunction of the beam position for selected conditions ofanalyzer operation.The measured intensities may be due toelectrons elastically scattered by the specimen surface,toelectrons inelastically scattered by the specimen,or to Augerelectrons emitted by the specimen.The intensity distributionsfor particular detected electron energy can be plotted as afunction of beam position in several ways and can be utilizedto obtain information on the specimen area contributing to thedetected signal and on analyzer performance for the particular1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E42 on SurfaceAnalysis and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E42.03 on Auger ElectronSpectroscopy and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.Current edition approved Nov.1,2011.Published December 2011.Originallyapproved in 1987.Last previous edition approved in 2005 as E1217 05.DOI:10.1520/E1217-11.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced onwww.astm.org.4Available from American National Standards Institute(ANSI),25 W.43rd St.,4th Floor,New York,NY 10036,http:/www.ansi.org.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 conditions of operation.This information can be used todetermine the analysis area(see Terminology E673 orISO 18115:2001).4.2 Sharp-Edge MethodA sample with a sharp edge isscanned through the focal area of the analyzer with its sharpedge perpendicular to the scanning direction(knife edgeexperiments).As the sample is moved to different positions,measurements are made of the intensity of a characteristicphotoelectron peak of the sample surfa