A unified scale for the Auger parameter: Methodology and benefits

The Auger parameter (AP) is a value extracted from the X-ray photoelectron spectrum (XPS) by addition of the binding energy of a photoelectron, for a given element in the spectrum, to the kinetic energy of the Auger electron emitted as the resulting hole in the electronic structure is filled by an electron from one of the outer orbitals. The value of the AP is sensitive to the polarization of electrons in the orbitals of neighbouring ions towards the photo-ionized atom and is thus related to other opto-electronic properties of the material. A correlation had been shown between the refractive index and the AP of aluminosilicates and thus the ability to compare, on a single chart, the AP's of the Al and Si ions gave important structural information. This comparison was made possible by normalising the individual APs to a common zero-point. In this contribution, the methodology employed is extended to a wider range of elements. The resulting ability, to compare and contrast the normalised AP, thus generated, greatly enhances the information available from XPS and thus relates it directly to the polarizability of the material's structure.