Types of Courses

    • Free
        • No Certificates Issued
            • In-Training Level 1 – Starting Level

            • In-Training Level 2 – Daily Operations

    • Paid
        • Certificates Issued
            • Level #1 – Novice($25)

            • Level #2 – Apprentice ($50)

            • Level #3 – Professional ($100)

            • Level #4 – Expert ($150)

Presentation Sequence

    1. Purpose of these Courses

    1. Types of Course Users (XPS and Chemistry Knowledge levels)

    1. Common Sequence for Analyzing Samples

    1. History, Key People, Intro & Basics of XPS

    1. Terminology

    1. Common Applications of XPS

    1. Bad Data, Peak-fitting and Assignments

    1. Decision to use XPS on This Sample (Problem)

    1. Purpose of XPS Analyses (Goals)

    1. Decide Types of Information & Spectra Needed

    1. Choice of Labs (Internal or External)

    1. Discuss Goals and Spectra Wanted with XPS Operator

    1. Review Prices for XPS Analyses & Turnaround Times

    1. Record Instrument Geometries

    1. Verify Instrument Status and Last Date of Calibration Checks

    1. Sample Handling with Clean Tweezers, Packaging, Storage

    1. Glove Induced Contamination

    1. Sample Size and Features (positions) for Analysis

    1. Loading Sample and Sample Outgassing in Load-lock

    1. Transfer Sample to Analysis Chamber

    1. Check Vacuum Level and Turn ON X-rays (check ZnS position)

    1. Position Sample & Focus on Feature (use electron count-rate)

    1. Types of Spectra, Profiles & Maps Possible

    1. Sample Degradation Checks

    1. Turn ON Charge Compensation, Neutralization & Control

    1. Test Quality of Charge Compensation of Position on Insulator

    1. Raw Spectra and Features of Spectra

    1. Consider Software Settings & Capabilities

    1. Choose Data Collection Settings (PEs) & Data Quality Needed

    1. Charge Referencing Binding Energy Scale for Insulators

    1. Data Processing (peak-fitting & atom%s)

    1. Data Chemical State Assignments, BE Tables & Interpretation

    1. Real World Problems & Applications

    1. Advanced Topics

    1. Makers

    1. Instrument Buying Factors to Consider

    1. Instrument Components & Features

List of Chapters / Sections

    • Typical Sequence for Analyzing Sample
        • Need to Characterize a Material

        • Need to analyze real-world Problem or QC

        • Have Sample

        • Decide to use XPS

        • Contact XPS Lab

        • Can XPS Help?

        • Explain my need, my goal

        • Send Sample to lab

        • Sample received

        • Sample cut to size and loaded

        • Analysis conditions decided

        • Data collected

        • Data moved to USB

        • Data processed (IDs and Peak-fits)

        • Atom%s and peak IDs

        • Chemical States Assigned

        • Data Interpreted

        • Report made

        • Report sent to me.

        • I review report

        • Ask questions to report writer

        • Does report answer solve my problem

    • Purpose and Expectations of these Courses

    • History & Intro

    • Types of Students
        • University Lab

        • Post-doc with no experience

        • Post-doc trained 3-5 days by departing post-doc

        • XPS applications scientist

        • Contract analysis lab

        • Biochemistry knowledge

        • Material scientist

        • Geology scientist

        • Chemistry BS level

        • Chemistry MS level

        • Chemistry PhD level

        • Theory only

        • Want hands-on operation of instrument

        • Want to process data, interpret data, write report

    • Basics of XPS Technique

    • Terminology

    • Advanced Topics

    • Sample

    • Need reference data

    • Purpose & Goal of Analysis

    • XPS Labs

    • XPS Jobs

    • Insulators

    • Chemical States

    • Charge Referencing

    • Charge Neutralization, Control & Compensation

    • Data Quality

    • Data Collection Times

    • Turnaround Time

    • Typical Prices

    • XPS Training Courses

    • Data Collection

    • Data Processing

    • Instrument Components & Features

    • Software Components & Features

    • Software Operation Videos

    • Features of Spectra

    • Types of Spectra

    • Peak-fitting

    • Peak Assignment

    • Atom% Quantification

    • SFs, RSFs, CSs

    • Reference Data

    • Sharing Data-Files & Formats

    • Statistics

    • Problems

    • Real-World Applications & Problems

    • Calibrations

    • Makers

    • On-Line Information

    • Independent Software Makers

    • Reference Books Hoffman, Hufner, Seah

    • Depth Profiling

    • Related Surface Chemical Analysis Techniques

    • Instrument Selection and Service

Titles of Lessons 

    • Introduction & History

    • Purpose & Design of Course

    • Basic Fundamental Concepts

    • Terminology

    • Reliability, Accuracy, & Precision

    • Reliability of BEs, and Atom% Results

    • Problems with BEs in NIST and Literature

    • Qualitative & Semi-Quantitative Composition Analysis

    • Modern XPS Instruments

    • Companies that Manufacture XPS Instruments & Components

    • Which Chemical Analysis Technique to use on my Problem/Material

    • Areas of Technological Application

    • Charge Referencing Methods

    • Data Collection Settings

    • Chemical States & Shifts

    • Chemical States, Electronegativity, and Ligands

    • Multiplet Splitting

    • Spin-Orbit Coupling

    • Energy Loss Peaks

    • Plasmon Peaks

    • Protocols for Collecting Data

    • Electron Spectrum

    • Examples of Spectra, Profiles and Maps

    • On-line Resources & Databases

    • XPS Spin-Orbit Terms (Notations)

    • Material to be Analyzed – Variables

    • Aspects of Practical Data Processing

    • Sample Forms, Shapes, Prep, Handling, Storage

    • Fully Quantitative Analysis

    • Capabilities of XPS

    • Ion Etching

    • Ion Etching Rates

    • Useful Guidance Literature – JVST series

    • Spectra Interpretation

    • Information Wanted – Purpose of Analysis

    • Goal of Analysis

    • Working With XPS Labs

    • Detection Limits

    • Depth of Information – XPS, AES, EDX, ToF-SIMS

    • Verify Instrument Ready to Use

    • Troubleshooting XPS Instrument

    • Service Contracts

    • Peak-fitting

    • Sharing Data-files and File Formats

    • Energy Scale Calibration Checks

    • Transmission Function Correction Checks

    • Real World Instrument Operation

    • Software Operation

    • Software Training

    • On-site Training by Maker

    • Off-site Training at Maker’s Location

    • Buying XPS Instrument Checks

    • Identifying Survey Spectra Peaks

    • Identifying Chemical State Peaks from Peak-fit

    • Chemical State BE Tables in Books and NIST

    • Make your Own BE Database

    • Peak Shapes

    • Electronegativity, Dielectric, BE Shifts, Chemical States, Bond Polarization

    • Chemical States and Shifts

    • Processing Raw Chemical Shift Spectra

    • Assigning Chemical States to Peak-fit Peaks

    • Valence Band

    • Auger Signals

    • C 1s Chemical Shifts

    • Si 2p Chemical Shifts

    • Physical Basis of XPS

    • Instrumentation

    • Monochromatic X-ray Sources

    • Instrument Design

    • Instrument Calibration

    • Sample Degradations

    • Analyzing Insulators

    • Charge Neutralization, Control & Compensation

    • Charge Referencing

    • Using Adventitious C (1s) as Energy Reference

    • Depth Profiling

    • Quantification using XPS

    • What XPS can NOT Do

    • Limits of XPS

    • Applications

    • Spectrometer Calibrations

    • SFs

    • Non-Traditional XPS

    • Related Surface Chemical Analysis Methods

List of Existing Lessons 

    1. Applications of XPS lesson

    1. Basics of XPS lesson

    1. Common Artifacts and Troubleshooting

    1. Electronegativity lesson

    1. Introduction to XPS lesson

    1. Terminology lesson – 2Q

    1. Detection Limits lesson

    1. Data Processing lesson

    1. Fundamentals lesson

    1. Monochromatic Aluminum X-rays lesson

    1. Principles of XPS Analysis lesson

    1. Sample Preparation lesson

    1. Data Interpretation lesson

List of Question Categories 

    • Accuracy and Precision

    • Artifacts

    • Atom% Calculations

    • Atomic Dimensions

    • Auger Depth of Information

    • Bad Data

    • Bad Peak-fitting

    • Bad Choices for FWHM

    • Bad Style for Checking Calibration

    • Beam Induced Degradation

    • Bond Polarization

    • Calibration Binding Energies

    • Capabilities and Limits of XPS

    • Charge Referencing Methods

    • Control Neutralization, Control, & Compensation

    • Chemical Shift

    • Chemical States, Electronegativity, and Ligands

    • Chemical State Spectra

    • Chemical State

    • CHI-squared

    • Common Surface Contaminants

    • Common Artifacts

    • Companies that Manufacture XPS Instruments

    • Companies that Manufacture XPS Components

    • Components of an XPS Instrument

    • Core-Hole Lifetimes

    • Data Collection Settings

    • Data-File Formats

    • Degradation

    • Depth of Information

    • Depth Profiling

    • Detection Limits

    • Dielectric Constants

    • Dwell Time

    • Electron Analyzers

    • Electron Configuration

    • Electron Detectors

    • Electron Collection Lens

    • Electronegativity

    • Electronegativity Effects

    • Electronic States

    • Electronic Structure

    • Electronic Terms

    • Empirical Formula (no H)

    • Energy Loss Peaks

    • Energy Resolution

    • Energy Scale Calibration

    • Energy Scale Check & Calibrations

    • Errors in NIST Binding Energies

    • Examples of Spectra, Profiles & Maps

    • Fermi Edge

    • Focus Effects

    • Focus Position

    • Fundamentals

    • Fundamental Physics of XPS

    • FWHM

    • Glossary of XPS Terms

    • Good Style Peak-fitting

    • Good FWHM

    • Good Style Calibration Checking

    • High Energy Resolution

    • High Energy X-ray Sources

    • History of XPS

    • Identifying Peaks in Survey Spectra

    • Identifying Peaks in Chemical State Peak-fits

    • Inelastic Mean Free Path (IMFP)

    • Information Derived from XPS Analyses

    • Information Wanted – Purpose of Analysis

    • Infrared (FT-IR) Depth of Information

    • Insulator Band-Gaps

    • Initial and Final States

    • Instrument Operation

    • Instrument Selection Factors

    • Instrument Maintenance

    • Instrument Service & Repair

    • Ion Beam Effects

    • Ion Etching

    • Ion Etch Rates

    • Koster-Kronig Transitions

    • Lifetime of “Clean” Surface

    • Magic Angle 54.7 degrees

    • Making Your Own Database of Reference BEs

    • Materials to be Analyzed

    • Monochromatic X-ray sources

    • Multiplet Splitting

    • Multiplet Coupling

    • Native Oxides

    • Natural FWHM

    • Noise

    • Non-monochromatic X-ray sources

    • Outgassing

    • Overlapping Chemical State Peaks

    • Overlapping Survey Peaks

    • Overlaying Spectra

    • Pass Energy Settings

    • Peak-Area Ratioing

    • Peak Energy Difference

    • Peak Baseline (Background) Shapes

    • Peak Baseline (Background) Widths

    • Peak Endpoints

    • Peak FWHM Choices

    • Peak-fitting

    • Peak-fitting Constraints

    • Peak-fitting Features

    • Peak-Shape Control

    • Peak-Shapes

    • Phosphor for X-ray Beam

    • Photo-ionization Cross-Sections

    • Plasmon Peaks

    • Polymers

    • Processing Raw Survey Spectra

    • Protocols for Collecting Data

    • Purpose (Goal) of Analysis

    • Purpose of This Course

    • Qualitative Use of XPS

    • Quantification Reliability of XPS

    • Quantitation

    • Quantification – Atom%s

    • Raman Depth of Information

    • Re-Capture of Residual UHV Gases

    • Real-World Applications

    • Real-World Trouble-shooting

    • Reliability of XPS BEs in Books and Databases

    • Reporting Experimental Details

    • Residual UHV Gases

    • RSFs

    • Sample Charging

    • Sample Degradation

    • Sample Grounding

    • Sample Handling

    • Sample Mounting

    • Sample Position Height

    • Sample Prep

    • Sample Shape (form)

    • Sample Size

    • Sample Storage

    • Sample Type

    • SEM-EDX Depth of Information

    • Semiconductors

    • Sensitivity Factors

    • Service & Repair

    • Shake-up Peaks

    • Sharing Data-Files

    • Shirley Baseline (iterated)

    • Signal/Noise Ratio

    • Single Crystals

    • Smoothing Data

    • Software Operation

    • Software Supplier

    • Software Features & Capabilities

    • Spectra Interpretations

    • Spin-Orbit Splitting

    • Spin-Orbit

    • Step-Size

    • Surface Contamination

    • Surface Shape

    • Surface Roughness

    • Survey Peak Identification

    • Survey Spectra

    • Synchrotron Based XPS

    • Terminology

    • Testing Atom% Quantification

    • Testing Transmission Function Correction

    • TFA and PCA Processing

    • Theory of XPS

    • Thickness of Contaminants

    • ToF-SIMS Depth of Information

    • Tougaard Baseline (Background)

    • Tracking Instrument Calibration Binding Energies

    • Transmission Function

    • Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV)

    • Useful Websites

    • Useful Literature Review Papers

    • Vacuum Levels

    • Vacuum Pumping

    • Valence Band Spectra

    • VAMAS-ISO Data-Files

    • Verify Instrument Ready to Use

    • Weak Signals

    • What XPS can NOT do

    • Which Chemical Analysis Method to Use

    • Window Size (Energy Range)

    • Work Function of Materials

    • Work Function of Instrument

    • Working with Internal XPS Labs

    • Working with External XPS Labs

    • XPS Notation Terms

    • X-ray Beam Shape

    • X-ray Bragg Angle

    • X-ray Dosage

    • X-ray Energy and FWHM

    • X-ray Phosphor

October 2026
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