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Abstract Photoelectron peak areas are measured using various background removal methods. Linear, horizontal, Shirley's and Tougaard's backgrounds have been tested on many spectra for different pass energies in the spectrometer. These four values, obtained for each photoelectron line, are compared together and it is shown that the first three methods give proportional results. These values are then compared to theoretical intensitities for five elements (Au, Ag, Cu, Ni, Cr) and one oxide (Al 2 O 3 ). These theoretical calculations are based on the knowledge of the spectrometer transmission, photoionization cross‐sections and inelastic mean free path, the product of which is commonly called the relative sensitivity factor. The best agreement is obtained when Tougaard's background is removed.
M. Repoux (Wed,) studied this question.