Transmission function calibration of an angular resolved analyzer for X-ray photoemission spectroscopy: Theory vs experiment

In order to achieve the most accurate quantification results in an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiment, a fine calibration of the analyzer response is required. In this work an experimental characterization of a modern angle-resolved analyzer, carried out with a unfocused and a highly collimated synchrotron source, is shown. The transmission function is extrapolated from the discrepancy between experimental and theoretically predicted XPS peak areas; the influence of different sensitivity factors and of the escape depth correction on the expected values is also discussed. The analyzer response and the theoretical approach are then tested against energy dispersive XPS measurements (EDXPS). These results are finally compared with TF calculated on the basis of an high accuracy electron ray tracing code, also described in this work. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.