Differential charging (DC) is a charging effect in x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA) that results from the spatial variation of sample potentials in the XPS sampling volume. It can be conceptually categorized into two Werent aspects--lateral (LDC) and vertical (VDC)-according to the difference in the directions of the inhomogeneous distribution of the potentials in the surface phases of the sample. The phenomenon of VDC, which leads to a shift of the peak position, to a broadening of the peak width or even to a dramatic distortion of the peak shape, was observed in the following systems: semiconductors and conductors with ultrathin oxidized or insulating overlayers. The suggested approach to overcome the problem of VDC is simply to isolate the sample and neutralize it with electrons from a monoenergtic flood gun.
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