Thermo scientific k alpha spectrometer

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of the PMMA discs (before and after sputtering) were acquired in the range from 100 to 1300 eV using a Thermo Scientific K-Alpha spectrometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA). Spectra were obtained via Avantage software (Thermo Fisher Scientific) in the survey and high-resolution modes with an energy step size of 1 eV and 10 scans.

Optical transmittance measurements were performed on the TAS multilayers using an ultraviolet–visible-near-infrared (UV–vis-NIR) dual-beam spectrometer in 400 to 700 nm wavelength range. Optical polarization was applied to the single films by ellipsometric measurements to increase the refraction index. The crystal orientation of the deposited films was examined by x-ray diffraction (XRD) with Cu Kα radiation. A transmission electron microscope (JEOL 2000 EX H; JEOL Ltd., Akishima, Tokyo, Japan), operated at 200 kV, and a field-emission gun transmission electron microscope, operated at 300 kV, were used for cross-sectional microstructure examination. Energy-dispersive spectra (EDS) and electron diffraction patterns obtained using this equipment enabled detailed sample characterization. The sheet resistance of the samples was measured by a Hall system. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were carried out using a Thermo Scientific K-Alpha spectrometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Hudson, NH, USA). An Al x-ray at 1,487 eV was used as the light source, and the peak positions were internally referenced to the C 1s peak (arising from the methylene groups of dodecanethiolate) at 284.9 eV [11 (link)]. All the binding energies are referenced to the clean Ag 3ds/2 peak at 368.22 eV.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to quantitatively characterize the elemental composition and the depth distribution of a-C(Er) films. The XPS spectra were collected from the surface of the sample using a monochromatic Al Kα X-ray source in a Thermo Scientific K-Alpha spectrometer (ThermoFisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) with an ultrahigh vacuum of the order of 10⁻⁹ Torr. The samples were attached to a stainless steel holder using Cu conductive double-sided tape. The top of the sample was also grounded by Cu tape in order to prevent severe charging effects.