APPLICATION OF X-RAY-EMISSION SPECTROMETRY (LEEIXS) TO THE STUDY OF INSULATOR SURFACES - MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF SOME METALLIC OXIDES OR COMPOUNDS

Low‐energy electron‐induced x‐ray spectrometry (LEEIXS) is a soft and ultrasoft x‐ray emission technique. The wavelength‐dispersive x‐ray spectrometer used is equipped with a cold cathode tube. This device acts as an excitation source by bombarding the sample surface with a quasi‐monoenergetic electron beam, the energy of which is selectable over the range from 0.5–5 keV. The probed depth, depending among other parameters upon the incident electron beam energy and upon the sample nature, typically ranges from 5 to 150–200 nm, the probed area being ∼1 cm2. The capabilities of this technique in the fields of atomic and molecular surface analyses have been shown for a wide range of applications. The aim of this paper is to point out the ability of this technique to solve some problems dealing with the near‐surface analysis of insulating materials and, more particularly, of some metallic oxides. Copyright © 1990 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.