Chemical Shifts in the Auger Spectra of Cd, In, Sn, Sb, and Te

The shapes and energies of peaks in the Auger spectra of many elements depend upon the chemical state of that element. These chemical shifts can hinder quantitative analysis because changes in the Auger peak shape can affect the relative sensitivity factors. However, the changes in peak shape and peak energy can provide information about chemical bonding that complements that provided by photoemission. Given the high spatial resolution of the scanning Auger microprobe, the ability to routinely obtain chemical information would greatly enhance this technique. For these reasons it is important to understand how changes in bonding affect the Auger spectrum.