Following the oral presentation of the paper 'Application and Optimization of Depth Profile Reconstruction from XPS Data Using the Maximum Entropy Method' at ECASIA 09 and AVS56 we are pleased to announce that an demo copy of the software is available.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of the software for reconstruction of depth profiles please send contact details using the 'Applications Support' link in the 'Contacts' menu on the left hand side. As the software will be distributed on a memory stick please include a postal address.

Angle resolved X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (ARXPS) is a useful method for obtaining non-destructive quantitative information about the depth distribution of chemical components in thin (2 – 8 nm) films. Although acquisition of ARXPS data with modern instrumentation is easy, deriving meaningful information from the results remains a challenge. One numerical method commonly applied to this type of data is the maximum entropy method (MEM). For the MEM to be successfully applied and a depth profile reconstructed, the experimental data must be consistent with the physical model describing electron transport in the sample. The precision of the reconstructed depth profile depends both on the noise in the experimental data and the accuracy of the physical model. In this study we make use of improved MEMs depth profile reconstruction algorithm incorporated into a new software package specifically designed for the analysis of ARXPS data. The reconstruction algorithm, which implements the Beer-Lambert law for electron transport, gives simple criteria for the consistency of the experimental data with the electron transport model and these were implemented into the software package as an aid for the analyst.

All feedback welcome.