Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why is X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy limited for surface mapping?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
surface analysis
A scanning-electron-microscope photograph of pyroxene and plagioclase crystals (the long and the short crystals, respectively) that grew in a cavity in a fragment of Moon rock gathered during the Apollo 14 mission.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is limited for surface mapping primarily due to its poor lateral resolution. The X-ray beams used in this technique typically have a diameter of several millimetres, which is too large to resolve the small-scale distances required for effective surface mapping.1
In contrast, techniques like Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) are better suited for this purpose because electron beams are significantly easier to focus into high-intensity, small-diameter probes. Furthermore, XPS is not optimized for rapid data acquisition, which is a practical necessity for scanning surfaces as a beam moves across a sample.21