Evaluation of thin film surface topology shapes Original Research Article

In this paper we propose mathematical model for calculating XPS intensity distribution from the textured sample surface. The surface roughness is approximated using different 3D geometrical shapes (triangular prisms, cone-shaped rings). Analytical expressions for XPS intensity calculation are given when using the above mentioned geometrical shapes. Obtained results are shown and corresponding discussions are made. The calculated and experimentally measured XPS angular distributions are compared and a reasonable agreement is observed. This comparison makes it possible to evaluate the mean slope angle of the sample surface roughness and to conclude that the model used and the assumed approximations are good in the case of investigated SnO2 sample.