Critical Upgrade of X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer

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X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is an essential surface analysis instrument that measures the binding energy of electrons emitted from the surfaces of samples when irradiated by X-rays. Since every element manifests unique electron binding energies, this technique is used to identify the atomic nature and the chemical bonding states in the near-surface region. The current XPS system was purchased in 2000 when the Electrochemical Technology Centre (ETC) at the University of Guelph was formed; it has been extensively used over the past 17 years. One challenge with the equipment is that the software is DOS-based. Once acquired, data must be exported via floppy disk to another computer where we have, over the years, run various freeware programs to conduct data analysis. In recent years, the system has become increasingly difficult to maintain. Some issues include water leaks in the cooling system, drifts, electronic instabilities, degraded sensitivity and resolution, and the simple difficulty of maintaining a DOS system when new computers are unable to interface with the existing electronics. This XPS system can no longer be pieced together to maintain functionality. The proposed XPS upgrade is urgently required to support a number of research programs funded by NSERC at the University of Guelph.