Auger Electron Spectroscopy: Practical Application to Materials Analysis and Characterization of Surfaces, Interfaces, and Thin Films

This book discusses the use of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and scanning Auger microscopy for the characterization of a wide range of technological materials, including, metals and alloys, semiconductors, nanostructures, and insulators. Its value as a tool for high-resolution elemental imaging and compositional depth profiling is illustrated and the application of the technique for obtaining compositional information from the surfaces, interfaces, and thin film structures of technological and engineering materials is demonstrated. This volume also describes the basic physical principles of AES in simple, largely qualitative terms. Major components of typical Auger spectrometers are also described. The book discusses other types of analysis for which an Auger electron spectrometer may be used, for example, secondary electron microscopy, backscattered electron imaging, X-ray spectroscopy, as well as the relationship between AES and other analysis techniques.

John Wolstenholme, BA, PhD, MRSC, has been involved in surface analytical techniques for most of his professional life and has developed a worldwide reputation in the field of surface analytical instrumentation. After graduating in chemistry from the University of Oxford, he went on to receive a PhD from the University of Manchester, UK. He was employed by Johnson Matthey at the company's research center, working on projects involving catalysts, pigments, and surfaces of biological interest. Later, he was employed by VG Scientific, which subsequently became Thermo Fisher Scientific. Wolstenholme has published many scientific papers and coauthored a book on electron spectroscopy. He retired from full-time employment in May 2013.