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REVIEW article

Front. Anal. Sci.
Sec. Surface Analysis
Volume 4 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/frans.2024.1509438

Perspective on the Development of XPS and the Pioneers Who Made it Possible

Provisionally accepted
Donald R Baer Donald R Baer 1*Peter MA Sherwood Peter MA Sherwood 2
  • 1 Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (DOE), Richland, United States
  • 2 University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    As of 2024, the use of X-photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), initially called Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA), has grown to become the most widely used surface analysis method. In this paper we offer a perspective of the early development of XPS and describe some of the advances and pioneers who made them that provided the foundation for it to grow into the technique we know today. Included is information about the early development of photoelectron spectroscopy, the seminal work of Kai Siegbahn, influential conferences that helped spread excitement and provide a fundamental understanding of the method, early development of commercial instruments, and identification of the need for systematic metrology. Because hundreds of researchers have contributed to advancing the method, we note that this is our perspective, with likely a different emphasis than others may have chosen. To limit the scope somewhat, we have chosen to focus on authors whose contributions started before 1980.

    Keywords: XPS, esca, PES, Siegbahn, photoemission history

    Received: 10 Oct 2024; Accepted: 19 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Baer and Sherwood. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Donald R Baer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (DOE), Richland, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.