Are measured values of the Auger parameter always independent of charging effects?

In x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) the Auger parameter is often used to study the electronic properties of elements, particularly in insulator materials, because this parameter is assumed to be independent of charging effects. In this paper we report on subtle differences in sample structure and experimental conditions for which the sample potential may not remain constant during the measurements for some spectrometers or experimental arrangements; for such conditions the Auger parameter is not independent of charging. We compare a series of measurements with insulating plate substrates of Al2O3 on which different amounts of SnO2 and Au were deposited. X-ray photoelectron spectra were collected for different conditions of the sample that was placed either grounded or left floating on a metallic sample holder during measurement. It is found that the Auger parameter is independent of the experimental conditions for Au but substantial differences were found for deposited SnO2, Surprisingly, measurement artifacts due to charging appeared in the Auger parameter for Sn when the sample holder was grounded but not when it was left floating. In the grounded samples differences up to 0.6 eV in the Auger parameter for Sn were found with respect to the actual value of this parameter measured with substrates where charging effects were not significant. Because no differences in peak broadening have been observed under different measurement conditions, it has been assumed that the shift was not caused by a conventional differential charging phenomenon. Considering the different response of the substrate and the deposited layer on stabilizing the charge when the sample is grounded, we have worked out a possible explanation to account for the observed artifacts. Instrumental specifications should be optimized very carefully, especially if (as here) relatively high charging shifts point to a non-optimum self-biasing of the surface potential at the insulating samples. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.