The development of laboratory‐based high energy sources for XPS

Abstract

Over the last fifty years, a number of higher energy X‐ray sources have been suggested as alternatives for the usual AlKα source found in the first commercial XPS systems and still the standard anode material for XPS today. This paper reviews the development of a number of such sources, predominantly in the authors' laboratory, and the rationale behind the desire to extend the binding energy range of the technique. The achromatic sources SiKα, ZrLα and TiKα are described along with monochromatic sources AgLα and CrKβ, both based on the standard quartz monochromator geometry but taking higher orders of diffraction. The driving force for much of this development was the desire to probe deeper core levels and CCC Auger transitions. These could be combined into initial or final state Auger parameters as described in much of the work cited in this review. The highest energy source considered is the CuKα source based around an external X‐ray tube, which provides much insight into the electronic structure of steels by measurement of the Fe1s and FeKLL peaks. The last decade or so has seen a significant increase of interest in HAXPES, and all manufacturers of turn‐key XPS instruments offer HAXPES options of one form or another, there are three dedicated HAXPES systems commercially available, which are very briefly described.