Study of Soft X-ray Appearance Potential Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis of Surfaces.

A soft x-ray appearance potential spectrometer (SXAPS) has been assembled, tested, and used to record spectra of selected materials for the purpose of studying the feasibility of routine elemental and chemical characterization of surfaces. These initial results demonstrate capabilities of SXAPS as a surface analysis tool and provide guidelines for the development of a more sensitive detection system for the technique. Characteristics of the SXAP spectrometer and criteria for the development of a detection system with an improved dynamic range of sensitivity are presented. (Author)