Experimental evidence for extreme surface sensitivity in Auger-Photoelectron Coincidence Spectroscopy (APECS) from solids

Core hole creation and subsequent Auger decay processes are studied with unprecedented discrimination by Auger-Photoelectron Coincidence Spectroscopy (APECS). Early works in this field have already pointed out the intrinsic surface sensitivity of these experiments. However, it was not until recently that a model calculation was developed to quantitatively evaluate it. Here we present the first attempt to experimentally establish an effective target thickness for such experiments. The angular distribution of 3p_3/2 photoelectron with kinetic energy of 160 eV is measured in coincidence with the M₃VV Auger electron with kinetic energy of 55 eV on a Cu (1 1 1) surface. Coincidence and non-coincidence photoelectron angular distributions display differences that, to large extent, are explained by confining the source of the coincident signal within the first two layers of Cu target, thus establishing an experimental upper limit for the effective target thickness of the APECS experiment.