A technique for comparing Auger electron spectroscopy signals from different spectrometers using common materials

Abstract

A simple procedure is outlined to obtain relative sensitivity curves that allow data collected on one Auger electron spectrometer to be related to data collected on a different spectrometer or to a standard data set. Data collected on three CMA systems demonstrate that dN/dE peak-to-peak amplitude ratios for pure elements can vary considerably but in a systematic manner for different systems. Such differences can be produced by variations in system design, by specimen or electron gun alignment, spectrometer contamination or other problems. However, if the differences in relative sensitivity are considered in the data analysis, data sets from different systems can be interrelated with reasonable accuracy.