Prevac Endstation - XPS/NEXAFS

Owned by AS Spectroscopy (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Sept 01, 2022
1 min read

The Prevac soft x-ray spectroscopy end-station was built in Germany at a cost of ~$A1m and completed in 2004. It was used at the NSRRC in Taiwan until the Australian Synchrotron became operational. This end-station has been designed and constructed to meet stringent vacuum requirements (samples need to be able to reach a pressure of 10-10 mbar before we allow the beamline valve to be opened). In particular, the vacuum system is as carbon-free as possible. The end-station is comprised of multiple connected UHV chambers allowing for the preparation and subsequent analysis of samples without exposure to air. In addition the end-station allows for investigation of specimens that must be maintained at a low temperature while they are under vacuum, in order to retain moderately volatile material that might otherwise sublime or desorb.

Detectors

  • SPECS Phoibos 150 Hemispherical Analyser

  • Retarding Grid Analysers (Partial Electron Yield and Fluoresence Yield modes)

  • Drain Current

  • Photodiode

Sample Environment

Ultra High Vacuum (UHV) environment, base pressure 1 × 10-10 mbar

Preparation facilities

  • Sample cooling to approximately 130K (using LN2)

  • Flood gun

  • Ability to transfer samples hot and cold

  • Rotary distribution chamber

  • Fast sample entry load-lock

  • Sample fracture chamber and sample parking chamber

  • Preparation chamber featuring: electron beam evaporator source, Argon ion sputtering, Quartz crystal monitor, Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), gas handling and introduction system, 4 point probe, Kelvin probe

Click here for information on safe transport and handling of samples.

Data analysis
Data formats

  • NEXAFS data from beamline software: *.mda, ASCII

  • XPS data from SPECSlab Prodigy: Delimited text, VAMAS

Analysis software

  • CasaXPS

  • Qant