Intensity Vs. Binding Energy - XPS Interpretation

Interpretation of XPS Spectrum: Intensity Vs. Binding Energy (BE)
The XPS spectrum provides two sets of information: The XPS detector detect and SEPARATE photoelectrons & Auger electrons in ENERGY and Counted. Simply, the BE on x-axis & Intensity (Counted electrons) on the y-axis form the XPS spectrum.
1. The x-axis: Peak position / BE / Kinetic Energy(KE)
The peak position on the x-axis indicates the BE in eV, which can be used to identify the types of elements exist on the surface (~10 nm thickness). The qualitatively information i.e., types of elements (Pb, Fe, C, O, Ag, Cl, Au, Ni, Cu, Co.......) can be obtained from the BE value. Other information such as the oxidation states, the chemical environment, the bonding atoms can also be identified from the x-axis BE value. A shift (left or right) in the peak position or BE value means that the oxidation state of the elements changes.
For instance, if the Nitrogen or Florine bonded with Oxygen, the Nitrogen or Florine atoms pulls more electrons from oxygen and the BE value or peak position for oxygen atom would shifts toward the higher value.
2. The y-axis: Peak intensity /Shape / Counted
The peak intensity determine the concentration of chemical elements i.e., shows how much amount of the specific elements exists on the surface. It reveals the information quantitatively. The higher the intensity of the peak, the more is the number of electrons detected. Intensity simply means the area under the curve. It displays the total number of electrons counted or detected per second.
PS: Actually, the XPS detect the KE of the photoelectrons but then we calculate the BE = hv-KE-WF (work function). Moreover, traditionally the XPS spectrum is plotted Intensity vs. KE
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