A brief overview of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization of thin films

Preparation and characterization of nanostructured thin films have been reported by many researchers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) method has been used over few decades in different fields such as superconductor, semiconductor, metallurgy and catalysis. In this work, elemental oxidation state, electronic state, chemical structure and chemical composition were investigated for metal sulfide, metal selenide, metal oxide and metal telluride films. Evaluation of binding energy for the obtained samples was reported. XPS spectra showed that annealing treatment has a very strong effect on the composition of the films. The elemental oxidation state and electronic state were strongly dependent on the specific experimental conditions.