The image shows the deconvoluted XPS spectra of Cr2p. Usually, the peak intensities measure how much of a material is at the surface. But is there any reason for the increase in peak intensity, even though the concentration of the element, i.e. Cr in this case, decreases as shown in the image !!!
As mentioned, any analysis of composition from XPS spectra has to be based on relative peak heights of all elements not absolute peak heights of just one element.
Also, in your peak fitting, I recommend fitting both components of the Cr 2p simultaneously with linked doublets to improve accuracy. For example, the way the (Shirley) baseline is placed is incorrect. It needs to extend all the way to the high BE side of the doublet and should not really touch the region between the doublets.
Dear Mohammad, please check the other elements present on the surface for comparison. And it may also be that you have some segregation (in your case of Cr) at the surface. If your samples were heat-treated in vacuum, this is not an unlikely phenomenon, Cr may even evaporate from steel surfaces when heated to more than 500 or 600°C! Good luck, Dirk
As mentioned, any analysis of composition from XPS spectra has to be based on relative peak heights of all elements not absolute peak heights of just one element.
Also, in your peak fitting, I recommend fitting both components of the Cr 2p simultaneously with linked doublets to improve accuracy. For example, the way the (Shirley) baseline is placed is incorrect. It needs to extend all the way to the high BE side of the doublet and should not really touch the region between the doublets.
As mentioned above, the peak intensity in XPS has no meaning unless you take into account the relative sensitivity factors as well as the intensitities of the lines of other elements. It can happen easily that in two samples the intensity of the same lines will be equalled, although the composition is complelety diffrent. The intensity depends on the X-ray emission, charge neutralization, resolution, sample itself and many other parameters. So it may happen that withn the same sample and using same setting you would get a different peak intensity if you measure them on different date/time. So I would recomend to make a better fit as described above and to normalize the peak intensities for all three samples, e.g. using the max intesity of each.
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