SCATTER DIAGRAMS AND HOTELLING TRANSFORMS - APPLICATION TO SURFACE ANALYTICAL MICROSCOPY

The collection of electrons from several Auger peaks together with other electrons scattered from a sample in a scanning Auger electron microscope provides a means of analysing many features of an inhomogeneous surface. The use of multi-image sets in the analysis of samples of Al on Si, W on Si, LaNi compounds and superconducting wires are given as examples. The use of scatter diagrams as a means of classifying the number and coverage of different surface phases is illustrated. The Hotelling transform is described and then applied both to data from a real W/Si sample and to simulated images which are chosen to illustrate the ways in which this transform can be useful. The design of a new 23 channel Auger microscope intended to take advantage of the multi-spectral approach to data acquisition is outlined. © 1990.