surface analysis

▪ chemistry

Introduction

      in analytical chemistry (chemistry), the study of that part of a solid that is in contact with a gas or a vacuum. When two phases of matter are in contact, they form an interface. The term surface is usually reserved for the interface between a solid and a gas or between a solid and a vacuum; the surface is considered to be that part of the solid that interacts with its environment. Other interfaces—those between two solids, two liquids, a solid and a liquid, or a liquid and a gas—are studied separately.

      In surface chemistry the most important solids are of two types. The first is a nominally pure solid on which a surface layer has been produced by interaction with the layer's environment. An example of this is kitchen aluminum foil, which is pure aluminum with a layer of oxides (oxide) produced by interaction with oxygen in the air. The second is a solid on which a separate layer has been intentionally created. An example of such a solid is a heterogeneous catalyst, which is created when a layer of a reactive species is deposited on a solid support made of a different material.

      For any nominally “pure” solid (with very few exceptions, such as extremely nonreactive alloys (alloy) and gold), the atoms (atom) or molecules (molecule) at the surface are different from those in the bulk. This difference arises from the reaction of the surface layer with the environment, and the depth to which this reaction extends differs from solid to solid. Therefore, how far into the solid what is considered the “surface” extends must be defined. Operationally, the surface is defined as that region of a solid that differs from the bulk. For solids consisting of a support and a deposited thin layer, the entire deposited layer and its bonding layer with the support can be thought of as the “surface.”

      Consider some everyday surface phenomena that are largely taken for granted. Contact lenses (contact lens) are compatible with the eye (eye, human) because the lens material is surface treated. Cloth raincoats shed water and clothing is stain resistant because the cloth has been subjected to surface-modification reactions. stainless steel does not corrode because the alloying process produces a noncorrosive surface layer. One can colour fibreglass fabric with dyes (dye) because the glass surface has been modified with an organic covering layer. Eggs will not stick to one side of a Teflon layer in a frying pan, but the other side of the layer is bonded to the metal. Why? Because the one side of the Teflon has been chemically modified. The important surface layers on the above materials vary in thickness from 1 to nearly 1,000 molecular layers. How can these layers be monitored or studied to determine their composition and to understand their efficacy? How can research be carried out to improve these materials? The answer is surface analysis.

Methods for studying surfaces

      Methods for characterizing surfaces have undergone a tremendous evolution since the mid-20th century. Classical methods, which were developed during the first half of the 20th century, provide descriptive information about the physical characteristics of the surface. These methods, which are still used with great effectiveness, include adsorption isotherms (which give surface areas and pore-size distributions), measurements of surface roughness, ellipsometry (for thickness measurements), reflectivity, and microscopy (microscope) to obtain surface topography.

      Modern spectroscopic (spectroscopy) methods of surface analysis, which began to appear around 1960, are able to provide elemental analysis, chemical state information, quantitative analysis, and horizontal and vertical distributions of species. With these techniques it is possible to investigate oxidation states of elements, specific compounds present as minute crystallites (crystallite), and organic functional groups or compounds. Quantitative analysis can provide elemental ratios or oxidation states ratios of the same element. The distribution of species across a surface, called surface mapping, or into the bulk from the surface plane, called depth profiling, can be done with remarkable clarity in many cases.

Spectroscopic (spectroscopy) techniques

      Spectroscopic techniques function through a “beam in, beam out” mechanism. A beam of photons (photon), electrons (electron), or ions (ion) impinges on a material and penetrates to a depth that is dependent on the beam characteristics. A second beam, resulting from the interaction of the first beam with the solid, exits from the surface and is analyzed by a spectrometer. The exiting beam carries with it information regarding the composition of the material with which the beam interacted. By varying both the type of particle and the energy of the entering beam, one can generate a large number of surface analytical techniques.

      For a surface analytical technique, the information obtained by the spectrometer from the exiting beam should be characteristic of that region of the solid that is defined as the surface. Either the penetration depth of the incident beam, the escape depth of the exiting beam, or both therefore must be limited to the thickness of the surface. This “sampling depth” differs with the type of particle or the energy of the incident beam. For photons, electrons, and ions with an energy of 1,000 electron volts (electron volt) (1 keV), the sampling depths in the energy range used for surface analysis are 1,000, 2, and 1 nm (nanometre; 1 nm is 10⁻⁹ metre), respectively.

      The thickness of a surface is not the same in all materials. The depth into the solid that is of interest therefore depends on the solid being measured. It also depends on the specific application for which the analysis is being carried out. For catalysts, for example, the surface thickness of interest is less than 1 nm, or five atomic layers, which is the thickness of the deposited reactive species. For corrosion studies, on the other hand, the depths of interest are in the 100-nm, or 500-atomic-layer, range.

      Each technique has a specific sampling profile, and not all techniques are appropriate for all applications. However, different techniques can provide complementary information. Usually no single technique provides sufficient information to solve a complex real-world problem.

      Many of these techniques are familiar to the analytical chemist, and each has its own unique capabilities. During the 1970s and '80s, however, four techniques emerged as being most useful for real-world surface analysis because of their general applicability and ease of use. The use of photons in and electrons out provides X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, or electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis [ESCA]). Electrons in and out gives Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The use of ions in and out yields two techniques: secondary ion mass spectroscopy (mass spectrometry) (SIMS) and ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS); the latter includes both low-energy (keV) ISS and high-energy (MeV; 1 million electron volts) ISS, normally called Rutherford back-scattering spectroscopy (RBS).

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy

      For XPS and AES the primary process is an ionization caused by either a photon or an electron,

m + hν {long right arrow} m^+* + e⁻, or m + e⁻ {long right arrow} m^+*+ 2e⁻,

where m is an atom in the material. In photoionization an incident photon causes the ejection of an electron with a discrete kinetic energy, which is measured in XPS, leaving an excited ion (m^+*). The kinetic energy of the ejected electron is essentially the difference between the energy of the incident photon and the binding energy of the electron.

      Electron ionization of an atom also produces both an excited ion and a second electron. Unlike in XPS, because of electron-electron interactions, these primary electrons emitted from the atom do not have discrete energies.

      Excited ions, produced by either photon or electron ionization, can relax through two mechanisms, or secondary processes. One path involves emission of photons in the form of X-rays, the same process observed in X-ray fluorescence. These photons are usually of such an energy that they have large escape depths (that is, the photons come from deep within the sample) and therefore do not usually contain information relevant to surfaces. The excited ion can also relax through emission of a secondary electron, called an Auger electron, to form a doubly ionized atom. It is important to note that XPS can produce electrons with discrete energies through both photoionization and the Auger process (Auger effect), while electron ionization produces electrons with discrete energies only through the Auger process. The kinetic energy of an Auger electron does not depend on the energy of the ionizing photon or electron, whereas that of the XPS electron does.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

      Since the binding energies of the electrons emitted through XPS are discrete and atoms of different elements have different characteristic electron-binding energies, the emitted electron beam can provide a simple method of elemental analysis. The specificity of XPS is very good, since there is little systematic overlap of spectral lines between elements.

      Swedish physicist Kai Siegbahn (Siegbahn, Kai Manne Börje), who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1981 for the development of XPS, found that the chemical environment of an element has small but measurable effects on electron binding energies as measured by XPS. This discovery dramatically increased the value of XPS to surface analysis. For example, the binding energy for the 3d_3/2 electrons in elemental molybdenum on the surface of a catalyst is at 227.6 eV, while that for the same electrons in molybdenum trioxide (+6 oxidation state) on the same surface is at 232.7 eV. Similarly, the binding energy for the same electrons in molybdenum in the +4 oxidation state is at 229.6 eV. This makes it possible to measure different oxidation states of molybdenum on the same sample. Through the use of such “chemical shift” information, the XPS spectrum can therefore provide not only elemental analysis but also analysis of the chemical state of the elements on the surface.

      XPS is very effective as a technique for qualitative analysis of elements on a surface and can detect all elements except hydrogen and helium. The detection limit of an element varies from as high as 1 percent of a surface layer for some light elements to less than 0.1 percent of a surface layer for some heavy elements. Overlap of XPS lines is very rare, and, when it occurs, secondary lines are able to yield a definitive analysis.

      XPS is also a quantitative technique. It is possible to estimate the composition of a surface without extensive calibration, using published sensitivity factors, to within ±30 percent of the real value. In well-calibrated systems the relative standard deviation of measurements is ±5 percent or better.

      XPS is limited in its use for mapping the composition of a surface. A main difficulty with XPS relative to other techniques is that it has little lateral resolution across a surface because the diameter of the X-ray beam is usually several millimetres, which is large relative to the distances of importance in surface mapping. It is also not very effective in obtaining depth profiles because it must be combined with ion sputtering to remove layers of the material and data acquisition is too slow.

Auger electron spectroscopy

      Energies of Auger electrons (named after French physicist Pierre Auger), like energies of XPS photoelectrons, are characteristic of the individual chemical elements (chemical element). Thus, it is possible to use AES to analyze surfaces in much the same way as XPS is used. However, because of the differences in the characteristics and limitations of the primary beams for the two techniques, photons versus electrons, AES has developed differently and represents a complementary technique.

      An electron beam is much easier to focus than X-rays. The resulting high-intensity, small-diameter beam renders AES ideal for surface mapping, a capability that XPS lacks. To be practical for scanning surfaces, a fast measurement speed is necessary, since individual analyses must be done as the beam crosses the surface. The Auger instrumentation therefore concentrates on rapid analysis. Increased speed, however, sacrifices spectral resolution, and, although Auger electrons show chemical shifts in much the same way as XPS electrons, the Auger instrumentation normally cannot measure them.

      Used in combination with ion sputtering to expose successive layers into the surface, the finely focused electron beam and the rapid analytical capabilities of AES make it an ideal technique for depth profiling. Thus, XPS and AES, which both operate on similar principles, are useful in different ways and have complementary capabilities.

      AES is somewhat limited in the materials that it can study, a limitation not shared by XPS. Because the AES primary beam is composed of electrons, it can be used only in the analysis of conductors (conductor) and semiconductors (semiconductor), which conduct away charge. On insulators (insulator), a charge buildup occurs that affects the energy of the emerging Auger electron and renders its signal useless for analysis.

      Sensitivity for most elements is better with AES than with XPS because a highly intense focused beam can be obtained with electrons but not with photons. Sensitivity is increased with a more intense beam.

Secondary ion mass spectroscopy and ion scattering spectroscopy

      For both SIMS and ISS, a primary ion beam with kinetic energy of 0.3–10 keV, usually composed of ions of an inert gas, is directed onto a surface. When an ion strikes the surface, two events can occur. In one scenario the primary ion can be elastically scattered by a surface atom, resulting in a reflected primary ion. It is this ion that is measured in ISS. This is an elastic scattering process, and the kinetic energy of the reflected primary ion will depend on the mass of the surface atom involved in the scattering process, thus providing information about the surface.

      In the other possible event, the primary ion can penetrate the surface and become embedded in the solid. When the primary ion penetrates the molecular or atomic lattice, considerable disruption occurs by transfer of momentum to lattice atoms or molecules. This gives rise to an effect called “sputtering.” For surface analysis10 keV primary ions, disruption occurs only a few atomic or molecular layers deep. Stopping such energetic ions in such a short distance can be visualized as disrupting the surface and expelling atoms, atom clusters, molecules, or molecular fragments, all of which may be neutral or ionic. The ions, referred to as secondary ions (thus the term secondary ion mass spectrometry), are focused by an ion lens into a mass spectrometer.

      Secondary ion yields produced in sputtering both organic and inorganic materials are very low, 0.1 percent or less for most materials, with most expelled fragments being neutral particles. However, even for a very low primary ion current density—10⁻⁹ amperes per square cm (A/cm²)—the number of secondary ions produced is sufficiently large for mass spectra with reasonable sensitivity to be obtained.

      The current density of the incident ion beam in ion spectroscopy may be either low (below 10⁻⁹ A/cm²; termed the “static” mode) or high (surface analysis10⁻⁶ A/cm²; termed the “dynamic” mode). In the static mode less than 1 percent of the surface is “hit” by a primary ion in the time required to obtain spectra, and each primary particle therefore encounters an essentially unsputtered surface. In the dynamic mode rapid erosion of the surface occurs in seconds, and the beam bores into the surface. This mode is used for depth profiling.

Secondary ion mass spectroscopy

      In SIMS, qualitative analysis for both organic and inorganic materials is obtained through straightforward interpretation of the resulting mass spectra. Quantitative analysis, or determination of absolute ratios of chemical species, however, is difficult because relative ion yields can vary widely with the nature of the surface. The sensitivity variations from sample matrix effects make it impossible to perform absolute quantitative analyses with SIMS. Also, the intensity changes that can occur because of minor changes in the matrix render the relative uncertainties in the measurements, even for calibrated systems, poorer than for the other techniques.

      SIMS instruments typically use either a quadrupole or a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Quadrupole instruments typically operate in the mass range of 1–1,000 atomic mass units (amu; 1 amu is 1.66 × 10⁻²⁴ gram), whereas time-of-flight instruments extend the available mass range to beyond 10,000 amu. Signal intensities in the mass range below 500 amu are typically more intense than for the higher mass range. However, sufficient numbers of large molecular fragments are produced that can be observed with SIMS, which can provide valuable information.

      Of the surface analysis techniques, SIMS is the only technique sensitive to all elements. SIMS shows good specificity, although there is some overlap between peaks of different elements. For example, the Si₂⁺ peak (56) overlaps with Fe⁺ (56), rendering it difficult to detect small amounts of iron in the presence of silicon by using a low-resolution mass spectrometer that can differentiate only unit masses (1 amu). However, a high-resolution instrument readily distinguishes between them (Si₂⁺ = 55.9538 and Fe⁺ = 55.9349) because it can typically differentiate 0.001 amu or smaller. Sensitivity variations in SIMS are extremely high. Severe effects from the matrix of the sample give rise to variations in sensitivity of 10⁵ between elements for which SIMS is most and least sensitive. As a rule of thumb, the more electropositive elements show higher sensitivity in positive-ion SIMS, and the more electronegative (electronegativity) elements show higher sensitivity in negative-ion SIMS.

      An important feature of SIMS is its ability to detect very small amounts of materials on the surface. In the more sensitive cases it is quite possible to achieve a discernible SIMS signal from 10⁻⁴ percent (1 part per million) of a monolayer. Therefore, although SIMS is the least quantitative of the surface analytical techniques, it can be the most sensitive.

      SIMS is equally valuable for both organic and inorganic analysis. Typical organic applications include analyzing surface coatings on fabrics, detecting impurities in semiconductors, and studying synthetic polymers (polymer). Inorganic applications include characterization of heterogeneous catalysts (catalyst) and determination of the surface composition of alloys.

      Static SIMS is an ideal method for mapping a surface. Because static SIMS is a fairly nondestructive technique, it is possible to map atoms and molecules of both organic and inorganic species. An ion beam can be focused on a spot with a diameter of less than 0.1 micrometre (μm; 1 μm = 10⁻⁶ metre), which is the smallest spot size that can contain sufficient material to produce an image. SIMS has been particularly useful in the microelectronics industry for imaging semiconductor devices.

Ion scattering spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering

      ISS measures the change in kinetic energy of a low-energy primary ion that is scattered elastically from the sample surface. If the ion penetrates below the first atomic layer, the probability of inelastic scattering also becomes high, and, through the resulting multiple collisions, the ion loses a significant fraction of its energy. Thus, ion-scattering spectra usually consist of a series of elastic scattering peaks superimposed on a broad background from the inelastically scattered ions.

      The ratio of the energies of the ion before and after scattering is a complex function of both the mass of the incident ion and the mass of the scattering atom on the surface. The function also involves the angle between the initial path of the incident ion and its path upon being scattered.

      The tremendous value of ISS lies in its ability to sample the top atomic layer of a surface as opposed to other surface-sensitive techniques, which sample several atomic layers. The energy of the primary ion beam is usually about 1 keV, and the peak locations in a spectrum depend on the specific scattering gas used. Ion-scattering spectra intrinsically contain no chemical information; thus, the technique is used strictly as a qualitative and semiquantitative tool for elemental analysis.

      ISS is sensitive to every element heavier than helium, since the lightest isotope used as a primary ion is helium-3 and the scattering element must be heavier than the scattering gas. The specificity, or ability to separate two particular elements, varies depending on the scattering gas used. ISS shows only small variations in signal intensity between elements to which it is most and least sensitive; it is potentially the most universally usable surface technique for qualitative surface work, and its capabilities for quantitative analysis are comparable to those of AES.

      ISS has capabilities for surface mapping similar to those of SIMS, although it is not as intrinsically sensitive. Depth profiling can also be done by ISS, particularly down to depths of 10 nm. This is accomplished by allowing the ion beam to sputter successive layers of the surface while obtaining ion-scattering spectra. This takes advantage of the fact that some sputtering always accompanies ISS measurements.

      Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS, named after British physicist Ernest Rutherford (Rutherford, Ernest, Baron Rutherford of Nelson, of Cambridge)) operates on the same principle as ISS. A primary ion beam is elastically scattered, and the energy and angle of the scattered ion yield information about the mass of the scattering atom in the sample. RBS differs from ISS by using a higher-energy primary ion beam, in the MeV range as opposed to the keV range for ISS. The higher-energy RBS ion beam causes it to penetrate farther into the sample, on the order of 1 μm, and also to exit the surface after elastic scattering without having its energy or path significantly altered by atoms in its path. RBS is therefore not an intrinsically surface-sensitive technique, but it can function as one for a surface layer as thin as 3 nm if it exists on the surface of a bulk material and if the signal from the bulk material does not interfere with the signal from the surface layer. (In both ISS and RBS, the sensitivity is proportional to the square of the atomic number.)

      RBS also has the unique capability of measuring the thickness of a surface layer up to 50 nm. The ions entering and exiting the sample experience electronic “drag” that slows them down just slightly, which produces a predictable spread of backscattered energies. The peak from the scattered ion beam is commensurately broadened, and the energy spread of the signal can be correlated exactly with the thickness of the sample. This enables RBS to measure absolute depth distributions, something no other technique can do. Ideally, such measurements can be done best for a heavy-atom layer deposited on a light-atom matrix. For the opposite, a light-atom layer on a heavy-atom matrix, the spectrum is more complex and difficult to interpret.

Ancillary techniques

      The four major techniques described (AES, XPS, ISS, and RBS) are not the only ones that can be effectively applied to practical surface analysis. Although these represent the four most surface-sensitive techniques because of their limited sampling depths, it is quite feasible to study species on a surface with techniques that are not intrinsically surface sensitive. If, for example, an analysis is being performed for a specific species with a known spectrum on the surface, and the surface signal can be sorted out from the bulk signal, a technique that will detect the species is de facto surface sensitive even if it has penetration depths of 1 μm or more. When it is impossible to analyze a sample under conditions required by the most surface-sensitive techniques, e.g., under a vacuum, the ancillary techniques may offer a feasible alternative.

Raman spectroscopy

      In Raman spectroscopy a beam of photons (photon), usually with wavelengths in the visible region, from a pulsed laser impinges on a surface. The photons are scattered by molecules (molecule) within the sample and give up energy corresponding to vibrational levels within the scattering molecule. The scattered photons are analyzed by a spectrometer, yielding a spectrum showing the energy losses, which are characteristic of the molecule with which the photon interacts.

      Although, with a sampling depth of 1 μm or more, Raman spectroscopy is not intrinsically a surface technique, it offers several advantages. Since the analysis need not be performed in a vacuum, some analyses are possible that would not be possible with the four major surface techniques, all of which require the sample to be in a vacuum. Raman spectroscopy also differentiates between the same molecule in different crystalline forms because the lattice environment in a crystal can have unique vibrational energies.

      The sensitivity of Raman spectroscopy varies widely, and its utility is thus highly variable. Some compounds are very strong Raman scatterers and can be identified in very thin surface layers or in very small particles, while others are so weak as to be undetectable. For those compounds for which Raman spectroscopy yields good signals, it has both qualitative and quantitative capabilities.

      Another feature of Raman spectroscopy is the nature of the spectrum, which renders it a valuable complement to other surface techniques. Because the vibrational levels of a compound are highly dependent upon the molecular environment, different compounds of the same element exhibit a totally different pattern of signals. This “fingerprint” characteristic of Raman spectra can differentiate between compounds with high specificity.

X-ray diffraction

       X-ray diffraction is a useful technique and can be employed in a quantitative mode. Its limitation is that the compound measured must be in a crystalline form to give rise to measurable signals. However, it gives easily identifiable fingerprints and therefore is highly specific. Particle size can also be determined.

Scanning electron microscopy

      Scanning electron microscopy (microscope) (SEM) is basically a topographic technique. In SEM a beam of electrons (electron) is scanned across a sample, and the backscattered electrons are analyzed to provide a physical image of the surface. Because it is possible to focus an electron beam very finely (on the scale of nanometres), SEM can provide a high level of topographical detail. In and of itself, SEM provides no chemical information. However, the electron beam also generates X-rays from the sample species. Through analyses of these X-rays with an energy-dispersive (EDX) analyzer, it is possible to obtain an elemental mapping of the sample surface layer.

      In traditional SEM, samples must be coated with a conducting layer ( carbon or metal alloy) to overcome charging of the surface by the electron beam. This limits the surface sensitivity of the SEM-EDX combination because all signals must traverse the surface coating. High-energy incident beams must be used to penetrate the coating.

      More recent SEM techniques, however, use a lower-energy electron beam, which eliminates the problem of surface charging and thus the necessity for coating the surface with a conducting layer. The combination of SEM-EDX therefore then becomes truly a surface analytical technique at very low-incident electron energies (surface analysis1–3 keV).

Atomic force microscopy

      Atomic force microscopy profiles a sample by dragging an atomically sharp (i.e., only a few atoms wide) stylus across the surface and measuring the force between the stylus and the surface. The resulting signal can be translated into a description of the surface topography. This surface-force scan can be converted into a three-dimensional surface image.

      Atomic force microscopy, again like SEM, provides surface topographical information and does not intrinsically provide any chemical information. However, it is a valuable tool that can complement other surface analytical techniques by providing a three-dimensional image of the surface layer. This can be combined with other surface-sensitive techniques because, unlike SEM, it requires no coating. Furthermore, it is not a vacuum technique, and analyses can be done in air or even underwater.

Factors of importance for surface analysis

      A number of factors impose limitations or introduce complications in surface analyses. The following is not an all-inclusive list but represents the most important factors.

Escape depth

      Electrons (electron) and ions (ion) have finite escape depths from a solid because the probability that they will be scattered before emerging from the surface increases with depth. The escape depth of an ion or an electron varies as a function of its kinetic energy and the angle of emergence from the surface. Because scattering results from interaction of the electron or ion with atoms or molecules in the surface, the higher its energy, the greater the probability that it will penetrate the solid without being scattered. At low energies electron escape depth also increases because at these energies it is possible for the electron to avoid regions of high electron density and thus escape with increasing probability as the electron energy is decreased.

Surface damage

      Ideally, any analytical measurement should not change the sample being measured. If the conditions of the measurement or the probe with which the analysis is being done changes or damages the sample, the results of the analysis will be incorrect. For example, if an electron beam used as a probe reduces the species on the surface, the reduced species will be the result of the analysis and not the original oxidized species.

      The major source of sample destruction in surface spectroscopy is the probe beam itself. Photons (photon), electrons, and ions all can cause damage to samples, especially when highly focused. In general, photons are least destructive, although the X-rays in XPS can cause some damage to photosensitive materials and sometimes change a material's oxidation state.

      Electrons are more destructive than photons and are more of a problem for insulators (insulator) than for either semiconductors (semiconductor) or conductors (conductor). They are especially bad for organic materials. Electron beams can cause sputtering, with the main effect being chemical damage, particularly in AES. Migration of species to or from the surface occurs as well as desorption of adsorbed species under the bombardment of an electron beam. Damage of insulators by electron beams can be quite severe.

      Ion beams are the most destructive. The sputtering process induced by ion beams is the source of secondary ions and forms the basis for depth profiling, which is one of the major uses of SIMS. If minimizing sample damage is a priority, it is important to keep the current density low and the sampling time as short as possible. SIMS in the static mode is performed at an ion density of about 10⁻⁹ A/cm² or below. Dynamic measurements, performed at ion densities of 10⁻⁶ A/cm², should be used only if one is willing to allow for surface damage in the course of measurement. RBS can also cause damage, depending on the primary ion dose.

Surface contamination

      All real-world samples are contaminated through exposure to the atmosphere. A clean piece of any metal will pick up a contamination layer of carbon when left in the air for an hour. An XPS spectrum of any metal that has been exposed to the air will show a large carbon signal from organic contamination. Easily oxidized materials pick up a film of surface oxides (oxide), while moisture in the air can modify some surfaces.

      Fortunately, these layers are not thick, and the surface can usually be sampled through the contamination layer. However, it is important to be aware of the existence of the contamination and to recognize that such a layer can affect the intensity of the signal obtained from the surface of interest.

Blooming

      Spatial resolution for surface mapping is limited for several techniques by an intrinsic effect, called blooming, that results from scattering of charged particles in solids. When a beam of highly focused, high-energy charged particles such as electrons strikes a solid and penetrates the surface, the paths of the electrons diverge because of optics and electron scattering. The shape of the area affected by the electron beam resembles an inkwell or an inverted light bulb. The depth and therefore the diameter of the affected area are dependent upon the kinetic energy of the particles in the incident beam. Because X-rays (X-ray) are generated throughout the entire volume and will exit the surface of the sample, the smallest unit area in the image will not be that of the diameter of the incident beam but will rather be that of the diameter of the widest part of the inkwell or light bulb. This limits resolution.

      Because scattering of electrons also generates noise, blooming also increases the background noise from the sample, which can cause problems with the detection of small quantities, particularly of light elements.

The future of surface analysis

      The current trend in surface analysis is toward measuring smaller domains, obtaining more chemical information, and developing techniques that can provide this information without having the sample in a vacuum. Some particularly exciting ideas have been employed in attempts to obtain chemically specific information from atomic force microscopy.

      Applications for surface analysis continue to expand. The emergence of nanotechnology has created new demands for surface analytical techniques. As particles become smaller, the surface area per unit mass increases tremendously. For example, a 1-cm cube with a density of 2 grams/cm has a surface area to density ratio of 3 cm²/gram. If that same cube is divided into 1-μm cubes, the ratio increases to 3 metres²/gram. If the original cube is divided into 100-nm cubes, the ratio increases to 3,000 metres²/gram. Thus, the properties of nanoparticles are, in essence, the properties of their surfaces. As the sizes of chips (chip) in microelectronics are reduced, surface areas increase for the same reason. Surface analysis is clearly an area in which technological need drives scientific progress.

Shirley Hercules David M. Hercules

Additional Reading

Alvin W. Czanderna, Methods of Surface Analysis (1975), remains the classic work in the field, written at the advanced undergraduate/graduate-student level. John C. Vickerman (ed.), Surface Analysis: The Principal Techniques (1997), presents a good general survey written at the undergraduate level. Leonard C. Feldman and James W. Mayer, Fundamentals of Surface and Thin Film Analysis (1986), is a very good graduate-level text. David Briggs and Martin P. Seah, Practical Surface Analysis, 2nd ed., 2 vol. (1990–92), is a comprehensive reference. Alvin W. Czanderna and David M. Hercules, Ion Spectroscopies for Surface Analysis (1991), contains a particularly good comparison of techniques. Manfred Grasserbauer and Helmut W. Werner, Analysis of Microelectronic Materials and Devices (1991), details many applications of surface analytical techniques.Shirley Hercules David M. Hercules

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