XPS: binding energy calibration of electron spectrometers 5?re-evaluation of the reference energies

The binding energies of the calibration peaks for x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy—Cu 2p3/2, Ag 3d5/2 and Au 4f7/2—have been reassessed based on the traceable data recorded in 1984 using unmonochromated x-rays and an analyser resolution of 0.3 eV. The changes in those energies, for different x-ray sources and analyser resolutions, have been calculated and the results compared with further data. This includes work with monochromatic Al x-rays recorded at high energy resolution, allowing the binding energies to be referred to a new zero value set at the Fermi edge measured for Ag. A consistent set of data is presented for the calibration and assessment of photoelectron spectrometers with energy resolutions in the range 0.2–1.5 eV, when used with unmonochromated Al or Mg x-rays or monochromated Al x-rays. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.