COMBINED AUGER-ELECTRON SPECTROMETER AND REVERSE-VIEWING DIFFRACTOMETER

The authors describe an instrument based on a quasispherical four-grid energy analyzer for recording of Auger-electron spectra (AES) and observation of slow-electron diffraction (SED) patterns from the direction of the electron gun. A miniature electron gun is described that permits recording of diffraction patterns down to electron energies E congruent-to 20 eV. For E = 100 eV, the gun current is congruent-to 0.8-mu-A for an electron-beam diameter on the specimen of less-than-or-equal-to 1 mm. In the AES mode, the gun allows recording of Auger spectra with an electron energy E less-than-or-equal-to 3 keV, a current of congruent-to 5-mu-A, and an electron-beam diameter on the specimen of less-than-or-equal-to 0.2 mm. The maximum gun current is congruent-to 25-mu-A with an increased beam diameter. Examples illustrating the operation of the instrument in the AES and SED modes are provided.