Detailed peak fitting analysis of the Zn 2p photoemission spectrum for metallic films and its initial oxidation stages

The metallic Zn 2p photoemission spectra hold a complex background that requires individual assignment of Shirley background for each peak comprising the spectra. For this reason, a close fit requires the use of the Shirley‐Vegh‐Salvi‐Castle background‐type under the active background approach. We found that the intensity of the plasmon peaks and their associated background cannot be described through existing energy loss (intrinsic and extrinsic) formalisms. We also analyzed the Zn 2p and O 1s spectra for the initial stages of oxide formation at various oxygen exposures. We found that the composition of the oxide layer is ZnO_1.00±0.10 for all exposures, suggesting that our assessment of the primary function of metallic Zn is accurate and can be employed for quantitative studies. We also present a set of parameters to accurately fit and resolve the metallic and oxide Zn 2p peaks.     

Site-sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of Fe3O4 by photoelectron diffraction

Fe 2p core-level photoelectron spectra of magnetite were measured using soft X-ray and hard X-ray, and its emission angle dependence was investigated. The photoelectron diffraction pattern from different atomic sites differs because the atomic arrangement surrounding each site is different. By selecting the forward-focusing-peak (FFP) directions characteristic to each atomic site and measuring the kinetic energy dependence of the FFP intensities at the Fe 2p core-level range, we succeed in detecting the variation of the peak intensity of Fe 2p core-level spectra at different emission directions. This result, consistent with recent results, suggests that the lower-binding-energy peak of the Fe 2p core-level spectrum may be assigned as the B site component.     

XPS primary excitation spectra of Zn 2p,Fe 2p,and Ce 3d from ZnO, α-Fe2O3, and CeO2

Metal oxides are important for current development in nanotechnology. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) is a widely used technique to study the oxidation states of metals, and a basic understanding of the photoexcitation process is important to obtain the full information from XPS. We have studied core level excitations of Zn 2p, Fe 2p, and Ce 3d photoelectron emissions from ZnO, α-Fe₂O₃, and CeO₂. Using an effective energy-differential XPS inelastic-scattering cross section evaluated within the semiclassical dielectric response model for XPS, we analysed the experimental spectra to determine the corresponding primary excitation spectra, ie, the initial excitation processes. We find that simple emission (Zn 2p) as well as complex multiplet photoemission spectra (Fe 2p and Ce 3d) can be quantitatively analysed with our procedure. Moreover, for α-Fe₂O₃, it is possible to use the software package CTM4XAS (Charge Transfer Multiplet program for X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy) to calculate its primary excitation spectrum within a quantum mechanical model, and it was found to be in good agreement with the spectrum determined by analysis of the experiment.     

Analytical characterization of thin carbon films

CH(x) films on silicon substrates deposited by a Mesh Hollow Cathode Process (MHC) were analyzed by various techniques. The films were produced with varying deposition times, resulting in thicknesses ranging from ~2-20 nm. X-Ray Reflectivity (XRR) was used to determine the film thicknesses and the deposition rate. A good correlation of measured XRR thicknesses with SIMS sputter depths down to the film-substrate transition was found.An AFM-based nanoscratching technique was applied to test the wear resistance of the thin overcoats. The MHC films reveal slightly decreasing scratch resistance for reduced film thicknesses, which can be explained by a higher fraction of soft interface zones for thinner films.This is in accordance with Raman spectroscopic measurements in the visible spectral range which were carried out to examine the carbon bonding properties. Combined analysis of G peak position and D/G peak intensity ratio indicates a more graphitic structure for film thicknesses less than 10 nm.     

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy-based valence band spectra of passive films on titanium

Titanium (Ti) is always covered by thin passive films. Thus, valence band (VB) spectra, obtained using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), are superpositions of the VB spectra of passive films and that of the metallic Ti substrate. In this study, to obtain the VB spectra only of passive films, angular resolution (for eliminating the substrate Ti contribution) and argon ion sputtering (for removing passive films) were used along with XPS. The passive film on Ti was determined to consist of a very thin TiO₂layer with small amounts of Ti₂O₃, TiO, hydroxyl groups, and water with a thickness of 5.9 nm. The VB spectra of Ti were deconvoluted into four peak components: a peak at ~1 eV, attributed to the Ti metal substrate; a broad peak in the 3–10 eV range, mainly attributed to O 2p (~6 eV) and O 2p-Ti 3d hybridized states (~8 eV), owing to the π (non-bonding) and σ (bonding) orbitals in the passive oxide film; and a peak at ~13 eV, attributed to the 3σ orbital of O 2p as OH⁻or H₂O. The VB region spectrum between approximately 3 and 14 eV from Ti is originating from the passive film on Ti. In particular, characterization of VB spectrum obtained with a takeoff angle of less than 24° is effective to obtain VB spectrum only from the passive film on Ti. The property as n-type semiconductor of the passive film on Ti is probably higher than that of rutile TiO₂ceramics.     

Effect of film thickness controlled by ink‐jet printing method on the optical properties of an electroluminescent polymer

Ink‐jet printing (IJP) represents a highly promising liquid processed polymer deposition method for the film preparation of functional polymers in photo‐electronic devices. In this report, the results on the IJP of a fluorene‐based electroluminescent polymer, poly(9,9‐dihexylfluorene‐alt‐2,5‐dioctyloxybenzene) (PF6OC8), from a piezoelectric droplet generator are presented. The polymer film thickness has been found to show an approximate linear relation with the number of droplets per unit area; it is thus convenient to control the film thickness by the space of printed dots in IJP process. In comparison, spin coating approach is also used to prepare polymer films with different thicknesses by varying solution concentration and spinning speed. However, it is found that spin coating is difficult to control the film thickness quantitatively. The influence of film thickness on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of PF6OC8 films prepared by IJP and spin coating is comparatively investigated. For both ink‐jet printed and spin coated films, the intensity of PL spectra first increases and then decreases with increase in the film thickness, probably due to the exciton quenching in thicker films. When the polymer film thickness is at nanoscale, the major peak in the PL spectrum is the 0–0 vibronic emission at about 420 nm, and with increase in the film thickness, the 0–1 vibronic peak at about 440 nm becomes dominant. The red‐shifted PL spectra with increase in film thickness show the change from the 2D exciton state to the 3D one. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Detection limits in XPS for more than 6000 binary systems using Al and Mg Kα X‐rays

A simple approach to estimating the detection limits of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for any element in any elemental matrix is presented, using the intensity of the background at the expected position for the photoelectron peak to be detected. The approach has been extended to estimate the detection limit for all elements from lithium to bismuth in a similar range of elemental matrices. Using a number of assumptions, it is possible to obtain a reasonable estimate of the background intensity at any electron kinetic energy in the XPS spectrum of an element. Therefore, a detection limit for an arbitrary element homogeneously distributed in that matrix can be estimated. The results show that, although most elements are detectable at about the 1 at.% to 0.1 at.% level, for heavy elements in a light element matrix, the detection limit can be better than 0.01 at.%, whereas for light elements in a heavy element matrix, detection limits above 10 at.% are not uncommon. Two charts detailing the detection limits for all combinations of trace and matrix elements from lithium (Z = 3) to bismuth (Z = 83) are provided for Al Kα and Mg Kα X‐ray sources using a typical hemispherical analyser instrument which provides 10⁶ counts eV for the Ag 3d_5/2 peak from pure silver. These detection limits can be scaled to estimate the detection limits for any given instrument and operating conditions if the intensity of the Ag 3d_5/2 peak from pure silver under those conditions is known. © 2014 Crown Copyright. Surface and Interface Analysis © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

What Caused the Formation of the Absorption Maximum at 421 nm in vivo Spectra of Rhodopseudomonas palustris

A spectral peak at ~421 nm appeared in vivo spectrum of Rhodopseudomonas palustris CQV97 cultured in acetate–glutamate medium (M1) but not in acetate–ammonium sulfate medium (M2). However, the spectral origin of 421 nm peak was not clear and frequently attributed to carotenoid component(s). In this study, comparative analysis of the extracted components showed that magnesium protoporphyrin IX monomethylester (MPE) was accumulated as one of the predominate components in M1 culture. The amounts of bacteriochlorophyll a in M1 culture were higher than that in M2, whereas the amounts of carotenoids were nearly identical in both cultures. A simple, rapid and minimum interference with carotenoid and bacteriochlorophyll method to efficiently extract the compounds involving in the formation of 421 nm peak was developed in this study. Assembly of purified MPE with protein components from R. palustris in vitro demonstrated that MPE caused the formation of 421 nm peak. The localization analysis in vivo demonstrated it is MPE associating to protein components and accounting for the peak at ~421 nm. This work clarified the 421 nm peak in vivo mainly originated from MPE accumulation, and will be very helpful to further explore the physiological roles of MPE or its derivatives in photosynthesis.     

Monte Carlo simulation of full energy spectrum of electrons emitted from silicon in Auger electron spectroscopy

A Monte Carlo simulation including surface excitation, Auger electron‐ and secondary electron production has been performed to calculate the energy spectrum of electrons emitted from silicon in Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), covering the full energy range from the elastic peak down to the true‐secondary‐electron peak. The work aims to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the experimental AES spectrum by integrating the up‐to‐date knowledge of electron scattering and electronic excitation near the solid surface region. The Monte Carlo simulation model of beam–sample interaction includes the atomic ionization and relaxation for Auger electron production with Casnati's ionization cross section, surface plasmon excitation and bulk plasmon excitation as well as other bulk electronic excitation for inelastic scattering of electrons (including primary electrons, Auger electrons and secondary electrons) through a dielectric functional approach, cascade secondary electron production in electron inelastic scattering events, and electron elastic scattering with use of Mott's cross section. The simulated energy spectrum for Si sample describes very well the experimental AES EN(E) spectrum measured with a cylindrical mirror analyzer for primary energies ranging from 500 eV to 3000 eV. Surface excitation is found to affect strongly the loss peak shape and the intensities of the elastic peak and Auger peak, and weakly the low energy backscattering background, but it has less effect to high energy backscattering background and the Auger electron peak shape. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

GammaLab: a suite of programs for k0-NAA and gamma-ray spectrum analysis

The GammaLab is a collection of computer codes, written in MATLAB, for performing calculations involved in k ₀ neutron activation analysis. The main features of the program include calibrations including energy-channel, energy-FWHM and energy-efficiency for different geometries, background subtraction, nuclide identification, spectral interference correction, elemental concentration and limit of detection determination. The data input is taken from two files one is the spectrum file stored in IAEA ASCII format and other is report file containing peak energy and peak area data. The information about sample, irradiation and counting conditions, background spectra are retrieved from QAQCData database. GammaLab takes nuclear data such as gamma lines, emission probabilities, half-lives, and k ₀ factors from NucData database. The sample results which contain elemental concentrations with uncertainties are stored in the QAQCData database. The program has been evaluated by analyzing several hundred spectra and results were found satisfactory.     

对氨基苯磺酸两步法修饰多壁碳纳米管

用混酸处理多壁碳纳米管, 利用侧壁生成的羧酸基团, 在N,N-二环己基碳酰亚胺的作用下, 使对氨基苯磺酸接枝到碳纳米管表面. 以浓硫酸为磺化剂, 室温下制备了磺化聚醚醚酮(SPEEK). 然后采用溶液共混法制备了磺化聚醚醚酮/接枝多壁碳纳米管复合膜. 采用傅立叶变换红外光谱(FT-IR)、热重分析(TGA)、透射电镜(TEM)、拉曼光谱(Raman)等技术对碳纳米管的结构和性能进行了表征. 红外谱图表明对氨基苯磺酸上的氨基与碳纳米管表面的羧基发生了反应, 生成酰胺基团. 热重曲线表明碳管表面接枝的有机基团的比重达到40%. 拉曼光谱显示处理前后碳管的I_D/I_G值变化不大, 表明碳管的石墨结构的含量基本不变. 复合膜的力学性能测试结果表明, 对氨基苯磺酸接枝的碳管可以提高膜的拉伸强度.     

Improved Tougaard background calculation by introduction of fittable parameters for the inelastic electron scattering cross‐section in the peak fit of photoelectron spectra with UNIFIT 2011

The shape of the background in x‐ray photoemission spectra is strongly affected by scattered electrons from inelastic energy loss processes. A polynomial of low order has very often been applied to model the secondary‐electron background, giving satisfying results in some cases. An improved analysis employing the Tougaard background model has been successfully used to characterize the inelastic loss processes. However, the correct usage of the Tougaard background needs a well defined inelastic electron scattering cross‐section function λ(E) · K(E, T) (λ = inelastic mean free path, E = kinetic energy, T = energy loss). This paper presents a four‐parameter loss function λ(E) · K(E, T) = B · T/(C + C′ · T²)² + D · T² with the fitting parameters B, C, C′ and D implemented in the background function allowing the improved estimation of the λ(E) · K(E, T) function for homogenous materials. The fit of the background parameters is carried out parallel to the peak fit. The results will be compared with the parameters recommended by Tougaard. The calculation of inelastic electron scattering cross‐sections of clean surfaces from different materials using UNIFIT 2011 will be demonstrated. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effective attenuation lengths for photoelectrons in thin films of silicon oxynitride and hafnium oxynitride on silicon

We have used the National Institute of Standards and Technology Database for the Simulation of Electron Spectra for Surface Analysis (SESSA) to simulate photoelectron intensities for thin films of SiO_1.6N_0.4 and HfO_1.9N_0.1 on silicon with excitation by Al Kα X‐rays. We considered Si 2p_3/2 photoelectrons from SiO_1.6N_0.4 and the substrate and Hf 4f_7/2 photoelectrons from HfO_1.9N_0.1. The simulations were performed for ranges of film thicknesses and photoelectron emission angles and for two common configurations for X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the sample‐tilting configuration and the Theta Probe configuration. We determined photoelectron effective attenuation lengths (EALs) by two methods, one by analyzing photoelectron intensities as a function of film thickness for each emission angle (Method 1) and the other by analyzing photoelectron intensities as a function of emission angle for each film thickness (Method 2). Our analyses were made with simple expressions that had been derived with the assumption that elastic‐scattering effects were negligible. We found that EALs from both methods were systematically larger for the Theta Probe configuration, by amounts varying between 1% and 5%, than those for the sample‐tilting configuration. These differences were attributed to anisotropy effects in the photoionization cross section that are expected to occur in the former configuration. Generally, similar EALs were found by each method for each film material although larger EALs were found from Method 2 for film thicknesses less than 1.5 nm. SESSA is a useful tool for showing how elastic scattering of photoelectrons modifies EALs for particular materials, film thicknesses, and XPS configurations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Use of blocked electrodes in thermally stimulated depolarization current measurements

The use of blocked electrodes in thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) measurements has been studied on phenol–formaldehyde novolac resin blocked by one or two Teflon foils. The measurements were performed after polarization at different temperatures T_p separately for the Teflon and the resin. Blocking decreases the effectiveness of a nominal polarizing field and suppresses the background current. It is explained here for the first time that the charge released from the charged Teflon interferes with the conductivity relaxation peak of the resin. The influence of the blocking is very dependent upon T_p, and this dependence is specific in regard to the type of current peak. The application of blocking at different T_p is recommended for the determination of the origin of peaks in TSDC measurements.     

Electrochemistry of electropolymerized tetra (p-aminophenyl)porphyrin nickel film electrode and catalytic oxidation of acetaminophen

A polymer film of tetra(p-aminophenyl) porphyrin nickel was obtained at a glassy carbon electrode by a cyclic voltammetric method. Cyclic voltammograms of the film electrode exhibited two stable redox waves with anodic peak potential at 0.43V and cathodic peak potential at 0.30 V in 0.5M NaOH aqueous solution. The electrocatalytic characteristics of the film electrode were studied by cyclic voltammetry, a. c. impedance analysis and other methods. The oxidation peak current increased linearly with the addition of acetaminophen to the aqueous NaOH medium in the range 1 × 10^–6–2 × 10^–4 M acetaminophen. The performance of the electrode was verified by the determination of acetaminophen in a paracetamol preparation.     

Theoretical and experimental analyses of the deposited silver thin films

The silver thin films have been prepared using magnetron DC‐sputtering. We discuss in detail the thin films AFM images and their properties in different sputtering times of 2 to 6 minutes. Despite the low thickness of the films, the roughness saturation amounts, W_s, are well separated. The surface data do not follow the normal Family‐Vicsek scaling, and we have the local growth exponent, β(W_s(t)∼t^β). We obtained the global roughness scaling exponent α=0.36 and growth exponent, β=0.50. We also obtain the fractal spectrum of the data, f(α). The results show that the spectrum is right‐hook like. It distinguishes between different film thicknesses even in small sizes of hundreds of nanometers. Furthermore, we measure the surface conductivities and compare them to the thin film roughnesses. We investigate the roughness and fractality of the AFM data, looking for their relations to width and conductivity of the silver thin film samples.     

Peak‐fitting of high resolution ToF‐SIMS spectra: a preliminary study

Peak‐fitting has been performed on a series of peaks obtained by time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) analysis in order to assess whether information may be obtained from this procedure on the samples' characteristics. A variety of samples were examined including a range of treatments for aluminium leading to different surface roughnesses, polymer films with a range of polydispersities, molecular weight (MW) and thicknesses as well as aluminium samples with adsorbed adhesion promoters on the surface. Variation of peak‐fitting was assessed by varying the peak intensity, full width at half maximum (FWHM) and peak asymmetry. Although further studies are needed it is possible to say that the peak width increases with roughness whereas peak asymmetry seems to be related to oxide thickness. Polymer characteristics do not seem to influence the width whereas the peak asymmetry increases either versus MW or polydispersity. A possible assumption is that the peak asymmetry relates to the ion formation processes. Additional work with varying polymer films thickness indicates that both FWHM and peak asymmetry may be related to sample charging and this could be used for assessment of film thicknesses. Finally, peak‐fitting was used to obtain a more reliable peak area when peaks are too close in mass to use current methods. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Surface characterization on graphitization of nanodiamond powder annealed in nitrogen ambient

A nanodiamond thin film is deposited on a single crystal silicon substrate by dip‐coating technique. Surface characterization of the unannealed nanodiamond sample, and the samples annealed at various temperatures in nitrogen ambient, is conducted by XPS and Raman spectroscopy. The fitting data of the C1s core level XPS peak reveal that the sp²/sp³ ratio in the unannealed sample and the sample annealed at 900 °C and 1500 °C are 0.44, 0.55 and 6.08 respectively. All spectra including the C1s core level XPS spectrum, the plasmon energy‐loss spectrum associated with C1s peak, C KVV Auger spectrum of the sample annealed at 900 °C are similar to those of the unannealed sample. However, the spectra of the sample annealed at 1500 °C are very different. Annealing at 900 °C fails to produce appreciable graphitization, and an onion‐like carbon structure with a small diamond core is formed when the nanodiamond is heated to 1500 °C. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of thin films and molecular orientation using cluster SIMS

A study of phenylalanine films of different thicknesses from submonolayer to 55 nm on Si wafers has been made using Bi_n⁺ and C₆₀⁺ cluster primary ions in static SIMS. This shows that the effect of film thickness on ion yield is very similar for all primary ions, with an enhanced molecular yield at approximately 1 monolayer attributed to substrate backscattering. The static SIMS ion yields of phenylalanine at different thicknesses are, in principle, the equivalent of a static SIMS depth profile, without the complication of ion beam damage and roughness resulting from sputtering to the relevant thickness. Analyzing thin films of phenylalanine of different thicknesses allows an interpretation of molecular bonding to, and orientation on, the silicon substrate that is confirmed by XPS. The large crater size for cluster ions has interesting effects on the secondary ion intensities of both the overlayer and the substrate for monolayer and submonolayer quantities. This study expands the capability of SIMS for identification of the chemical structure of molecules at surfaces. © Crown copyright 2010.