| AVS 55th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Applied Surface Science | Monday Sessions |
| Session AS-MoA |
| Session: | Electron Spectroscopies |
| Presenter: | C.J. Powell, National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| Authors: | C.J. Powell, National Institute of Standards and Technology J.M. Conny, National Institute of Standards and Technology |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
We report uncertainties in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) intensities arising from commonly used methods and procedures for subtraction of the spectral background. These uncertainties were determined from a comparison of XPS intensities reported by volunteer analysts from 28 institutions and the corresponding intensities expected for a set of simulated XPS spectra. We analyzed peak intensities from 32 sets of data for a group of twelve spectra that had been simulated for a monochromatized Al Kα source. Each reported intensity was compared with an expected intensity for the particular integration limits chosen by each analyst and known from the simulation design. We present ratios of the reported intensities to the expected intensities for the background-subtraction methods chosen by the analysts. These ratios were close to unity in most cases, as expected, but deviations were found in the results from some analysts, particularly if the main peak was asymmetrical or if shakeup was present. We showed that better results for the Shirley, Tougaard, and linear backgrounds were obtained when analysts determined peak intensities over certain energy ranges or integration limits. We will present recommended integration limits for the three backgrounds that should be useful in the determination of peak intensities for other XPS spectra.