Anthracite Coal Amorphous C CNT Diamond Graphene Graphene Oxide HOPG RGO Vaseline Paraffin Wax
AlTiC Cr3C2 HfC Mo2C NbC SiC TiC VC WC ZrC
Ag2CO3 BaCO3 CaCO3 FeCO3 KHCO3 K2CO3 Li2CO3 MgCO3 NaHCO3 Na2CO3
HDPE PP PS Methyl Cellulose Krytox PET – Mylar Kapton PVC Teflon Basic

XPS Spectra
Carbon (C) Compounds
The XPS Spectra section provides raw and processed survey spectra, chemical state spectra, BE values, FWHM values, and overlays of key spectra.
Atom% values from surveys are based on sample, as received, and Scofield cross-sections. Atom% values are corrected for IMFP and PE.
Peak-fits are guides for practical, real-world applications. Peak-fits are not fully optimized or designed to test any theory.


High Density Poly-Ethylene  (HDPE)
Survey, Peak-fits, BEs, FWHMs, and Peak Labels


 Periodic Table   → Six (6) BE Tables
Survey Spectrum from HDPE
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag (3d5/2) FWHM = 1.3 eV

 Periodic Table  → Six (6) BE Tables
C (1s) Spectrum from HDPE Raw
Fresh exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 283.95 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV
C (1s) Spectrum from HDPE Peak-Fit
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV


 
C (1s) Spectrum from HDPE Extended 
Fresh exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV
C (1s) Spectrum from HDPE  Expanded
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV


 Periodic Table  → Six (6) BE Tables
O (1s) Spectrum from HDPE Raw
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV
O (1s) Spectrum from HDPE Peak-fit
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV

 Periodic Table  → Six (6) BE Tables
C (KLL) Auger Spectrum from HDPE Raw
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV
Valence Band Signals from HDPE Raw
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV

 
Overlays
 Periodic Table  → Six (6) BE Tables
Valence Band SpectraOverlay of Paraffin Wax and HDPE
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV
C (1s) SpectraOverlay of Paraffin Wax and HDPE
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV


 Periodic Table  → Six (6) BE Tables
Valence Band Spectra – Overlay of PP and HDPE
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV
C (1s) Spectra – Overlay of PP and HDPE
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV
C (KLL) Auger Spectra – Overlay of PP and HDPE
Freshly exposed bulk, Flood gun is ON, C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV, Ag FWHM = 0.75 eV


End-of-spectra

Price to purchase raw data sets:
Raw spectra – VAMAS ASCII format ($6)
Raw spectra – SDP binary format ($5)
SDP v9 – $145 (3 yr license)

 



 

 

Transmission Function Tests


 

December 2015 – Transmission Function of Thermo K-Alpha Plus

 Periodic Table 
Survey Spectra of Ion Etched Copper (Cu), PEs = 50, 100, 150 and 200 eV

 Periodic Table 
March 2016 – Transmission Function of Thermo K-Alpha Plus 
 
Survey Spectra of Ion Etched Copper (Cu), PEs = 100, 150 and 200 eV

 Periodic Table  
August 2019 – Transmission Function of Thermo K-Alpha Plus
 
Survey Spectra of HOPG (C), PEs = 20, 50, 100 and 200 eV

 Periodic Table  
January 2022 – Transmission Function of Thermo K-Alpha Plus
Survey Spectra of Ion Etched Copper (Cu), PEs = 100, 120, 140, 160, 180 and 200 eV


 

Five (5) Chemical State Tables of C (1s) BEs

 

  • The XPS Library Spectra-Base
  • PHI Handbook
  • Thermo-Scientific Website
  • XPSfitting Website
  • Techdb Website

 



 

Notes of Caution when using Published BEs and BE Tables from Insulators and Conductors:

  • Accuracy of Published BEs
    • The accuracy depends on the calibration BEs used to calibrate the energy scale of the instrument.  Cu (2p3) BE can vary from 932.2 to 932.8 eV for old publications
    • Different authors use different BEs for the C (1s) BE of the hydrocarbons found in adventitious carbon that appears on all materials and samples.  From 284.2 to 285.3 eV
    • The accuracy depends on when the authors last checked or adjusted their energy scale to produce the expected calibration BEs
  • Worldwide Differences in Energy Scale Calibrations
    • For various reasons authors still use older energy scale calibrations
    • Some authors still adjust their energy scale so Cu (2p3/2) appears at 932.2 eV or 932.8 eV because this is what the maker taught them
    • This range causes BEs in the higher BE end to be larger than expected
    • This variation increases significantly above 600 eV BE
  • Charge Compensation
    • Samples that behave as true insulators normally require the use of a charge neutralizer (electron flood gun with or without Ar+ ions) so that the measured chemical state spectra can be produced without peak-shape distortions or sloping tails on the low BE side of the peak envelop.
    • Floating all samples (conductive, semi-conductive, and non-conductive) and always using the electron flood gun is considered to produce more reliable BEs and is recommended.
  • Charge Referencing Methods for Insulators
    • Charge referencing is a common method, but it can produce results that are less reliable.
    • When an electron flood gun is used, the BE scale will usually shift to lower BE values by 0.01 to 5.0 eV depending on your voltage setting. Normally, to correct for this flood gun induced shift, the BE of the hydrocarbon C (1s) peak maximum from adventitious carbon is used to correct for the charge induced shift.
    • The hydrocarbon peak is normally the largest peak at the lowest BE.
    • Depending on your preference or training, the C (1s) BE assigned to this hydrocarbon peak varies from 284.8 to 285.0 eV.  Other BEs can be as low as 284.2 eV or as high as 285.3 eV
    • Native oxides that still show the pure metal can suffer differential charging that causes the C (1s) and the O (1s) and the Metal Oxide BE to be larger
    • When using the electron flood gun, the instrument operator should adjust the voltage and the XY position of the electron flood gun to produce peaks from a strong XPS signal (eg O (1s) or C (1s) having the most narrow FWHM and the lowest experimentally measured BE.

→  Periodic Table 


Table #1

C (1s) Chemical State BEs from:  “The XPS Library Spectra-Base”

C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV for TXL BEs
and C (1s) BE = 284.8 eV for NIST BEs

Element Atomic # Compound As-Measured by TXL or NIST Average BE Largest BE      Hydrocarbon           C (1s) BE Source
C 6 range for carbides, C2- 281.5 – 284.2 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 c-SiC 282.9 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 SiCN 284.3 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-HOPG 284.5 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C, aromatic, sp2 284.6 eV 284.8 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C=C 284.7 eV 284.8 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-Si 284.8 eV 285.1 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-C, C-H 285.0 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C, diamond, sp3 285.1 eV 285.2 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-SOx 285.2 eV 285.8 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-N 285.6 eV 286.5 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-O-C,C-OH 286.0 eV 286.5 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-H2-CF2 286.4 eV 286.8 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C nitrile 286.7 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-Cl 287.0 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-HF-CH2 287.3 eV 288.0 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C=O 287.8 eV 288.0 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C=N-O 288.0 eV 288.7 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 RbOAc 288.1 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-OOR,COOH 288.3 eV 289.2 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C imide 288.5 eV 288.8 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 BaOAc 288.6 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-Cl2 288.6 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-O3 (metal) 288.8 eV 290.2 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 HC-O3 (metal) 289.5 eV 291.0 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-O3 org 289.5 eV 291.0 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-F2-CH2 289.8 eV 291.1 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-F2-CF2 291.3 eV 292.0 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C pi-pi* 291.5 eV 292.1 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-F3 293.1 eV 293.8 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-F2O 294.1 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library
C 6 C-F3O 295.2 eV 285.0 eV The XPS Library

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charge Referencing

  • (N*number) identifies the number of NIST BEs that were averaged to produce the BE in the middle column.
  • Binding Energy Scale Calibration expects Cu (1s3/2) BE = 932.62 eV and Au (4f7/2) BE = 83.98 eV.  BE (eV) Uncertainty Range:  +/- 0.2 eV
  • Charge Referencing of insulators is defined such that the Adventitious Hydrocarbon C (1s) BE (eV) = 285.0 eV.  NIST uses C (1s) BE = 284.8 eV 
  • Note:   Ion etching removes adventitious carbon, implants Ar (+), changes conductivity of surface, and degrades chemistry of various chemical states.
  • Note:  Ion Etching changes BE of C (1s) hydrocarbon peak.
  • TXL – abbreviation for: “The XPS Library” (https://xpslibrary.com).  NIST:  National Institute for Science and Technology (in USA)

 Periodic Table 


Table #2

C (1s) Chemical State BEs from:  “PHI Handbook”

C (1s) BE = 284.8 eV

 Periodic Table 

Copyright ©:  Ulvac-PHI


Table #3

C (1s) Chemical State BEs from:  “Thermo-Scientific” Website

C (1s) BE = 284.8 eV

Chemical state Binding energy C1s / eV
C-C 284.8
C-O-C ~286
O-C=O ~288.5

 Periodic Table 

Copyright ©:  Thermo Scientific 


Table #4

C (1s) Chemical State BEs from:  “XPSfitting” Website

Chemical State BE Table derived by peak-fitting contamination on Poly-ethylene polymer
C (1s) BE = 285.0 eV

 

 Periodic Table 

Copyright ©:  Mark Beisinger


Table #5

C (1s) Chemical State BEs from:  “Techdb.podzone.net” Website

 

XPS Spectra – Chemical Shift | Binding Energy
C (1s) BE = 284.6 eV

XPS(X線光電子分光法)スペクトル 化学状態 化学シフト ケミカルシフト

Element Level Compound B.E.(eV) min max
C 1s Carbide 281.9 ±1.2 280.7 283.0
C 1s Carbon 284.6 ±0.5 284.1 285.1
C 1s Alcohols 286.4 ±0.4 286.0 286.8
C 1s C with S 286.5 ±1.1 285.4 287.5
C 1s C with Cl 286.7 ±1.2 285.5 287.8
C 1s C with N 286.9 ±1.7 285.2 288.5
C 1s Ethers 287.1 ±0.9 286.2 288.0
C 1s Ketones/Aldehydes 287.6 ±0.5 287.1 288.1
C 1s Carboxyls 288.6 ±0.6 288.0 289.2
C 1s CHF 289.0 ±1.3 287.7 290.2
C 1s Carbonates 290.3 ±1.3 289.0 291.6
C 1s CF2 292.0 ±0.4 291.6 292.4
C 1s CF3 293.0 ±0.5 292.5 293.5

 Periodic Table 



 


Histograms of NIST BEs for C (1s) BEs

Important Note:  NIST Database defines Adventitious Hydrocarbon C (1s) BE = 284.8 eV for all insulators.

 

Histogram indicates:  292.4 eV for CF2 based on 5 literature BEs Histogram indicates:  282.9 eV for SiC based on 6 literature BEs

Important Note:  NIST Database defines Adventitious Hydrocarbon C (1s) BE = 284.8 eV for all insulators.

 Periodic Table 


 


Statistical Analysis of Binding Energies in NIST XPS Database of BEs