Project: Photoelectron spectroscopy using a Ga X-ray source

In the latest decades X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has developed into an extremely powerful tool for deducing electronic and structural information of materials. XPS is a surface-sensitive technique requiring ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) and complex instrumentation, and often the XPS experiments giving the most interesting information must be performed at synchrotron facilities. This puts high demands on the users, which today often are university physicists or skilled scientists from neighboring fields. Moreover, due to the UHV requirements the objects and phenomena that can be studied with the XPS technique are also limited. _x000D_The goal of this project is to make the modern XPS analytical features available for a broad scientific and industrial user community by developing a high-energy XPS radiation source dedicated for XPS studies of materials, systems, and devices under ambient conditions, integrate this source in a home-lab system, and package the technology in an attractive manner for researchers used to XRD, MS, NMR, and similar analytical techniques._x000D_The project Ps (Excillum and VGS AB from Sweden, and VGS Ltd. From UK) form a complete chain from basic component development to system integration, and analysis end-users will be involved in the project and get access to the developed instrumentation for evaluation purposes. _x000D_ VGS AB (Sweden, coordinator) stems from the Noble prize awarded pioneering work on XPS at Uppsala University. The company has recently, as the only supplier, released a so-called HiPP-HAXPES electron analyser dedicated for XPS studies at high sample pressures (10 – 100 mbar; HiPP) and high electron energies (up to 10 keV; HAXPES). The first delivered instruments are now generating results at large synchrotron light-source facilities, and the users are physicists with long experience from UHV and XPS experiments._x000D_To take the HiPP-HAXPES technique to a broad group of users it will be necessary to offer easy-to-use home-lab systems comprising a high-energy radiation source. The requirements on such a HiPP-HAXPES radiation source are extremely demanding: high photon energy (8 – 10 keV), high resolution (< 0.5 eV), sharp focusing (10 – 50 um), and high flux. Today there is no such source available! _x000D_Here the timing of the project is excellent. In recent years the P Excillum has succeeded in introducing a proprietary completely new and different type of X-ray tube, based on a liquid metal jet anode. This MetalJet technology is today used for e.g. XRD and imaging, and it has already in its current commercial form the highest flux performance among all available tube technologies in the microfocus regime (5 – 50 um). Moreover, the liquid gallium anode has its peak energy (k-alpha emission) at 9.3 keV which is perfect for HiPP-HAXPES. Due to the different nature of the liquid anode, the MetalJet is not at its fundamental performance limit, contrary to conventional solid anode x-ray sources that have been perfected over most of last century. Since the HiPP-HAXPES application will benefit strongly from the highest possible x-ray flux, the first objective is to develop a second-generation MetalJet source with roughly 10 times higher performance compared to what’s commercially available today._x000D_HiPP-HAXPES, as any XPS technology, requires monochromatic x-rays which is not what you get from an x-ray tube. Such monochromators are readily available for standard XPS energies (1.2 keV, 1.5 keV, etc.) but today not available from the 9.3 keV gallium emission._x000D_Hence, the second objective of the project will be the development of a monochromator for the Ga metal jet tube, and the third objective will be to combine the tube and the monochromator into a HiPP-HAXPES X-ray source. _x000D_The P VGS Ltd produces vacuum components, is a reputed systems integrator and has recently as part of a strategic move started offering solutions, i.e. systems with proven processes such as the fully automated OFT100+ system for research into organic devices such as OLEDs and OPVs. VGS has a tradition of supplying UHV equipment with proven system control. Recently VGS Ltd. has designed a semi-automatic XPS system based on the HiPP-HAXPES analyser where the x-ray source energy is 1.5 keV, i.e. the energy is comparably low._x000D_The fourth objective will be to build a HiPP-HAXPES demo system at VGS Ltd. by integrating the new HiPP-HAXPES X-ray source in the existing XPS system layout with a safe and easy-to-use system control system for new user groups. Compared to existing commercial industrial XPS systems the progress with the new HiPP-HAXPES technique will be drastic, facilitating e.g. chemical shift analysis of liquids._x000D_The fifth objective will be to verify the technical potential of the new source for XPS applications._x000D_

Acronym	PESGA (Reference Number: 7892)
Duration	01/03/2013 - 31/08/2015
Project Topic	XPS systems using a bright energetic X-ray source will be developed. These systems will open up for the application of advanced XPS features on a new range of objects and situations in a much broader user community than today, e.g. chemistry, life science and electronics.
Project Results (after finalisation)	Regarding project the project was cancelled on 19th of November. VINNOVA has only paid the project for the period when the project was active and will not recover any payment from the participants. _x000D_Expenditures ids 9134, 9135 needs to be released. confirmed by VINNOVA that those expenditures covers the period before the withdrawal of the project. _x000D_letters saved in O:\Eurostars\10 - NFB Matters\NFB Matters 2008 - 2013\12 - Recovery procedure\Recoveries
Network	Eurostars
Call	Eurostars Cut-Off 9

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
3	Excillum AB	Partner	Sweden
3	VG Scienta AB	Coordinator	Sweden
3	VG Scienta Ltd	Partner	United Kingdom