Electron spectroscopy system for chemical analysis of electrically isolated specimens

In a method for analyzing a specimen under analysis, the steps of:

• bombarding an electrically isolated surface region of the specimen under analysis at subatmospheric pressure with a beam of ionizing radiation to produce secondary emission from the bombarded surface region of the specimen and to cause said bombarded surface region of the isolated specimen to have a resultant positive surface charge;
• flooding the bombarded surface of the specimen with a stream of electrons to neutralize the region of positive surface charge;
• positioning a transparent electrode overlaying the surface of the beam bombarded region of the specimen in spaced relation therewith, said electrode being at least partially transparent to the bombarding beam of radiation and to the resultant secondary emission;
• operating the transparent electrode at a potential relative to that of the surface of the specimen and relative to that of the flooding electron stream such that the flooding electrons pass through the transparent electrode on the way toward the specimen and are reflected in the region between the electrode and the specimen back through the transparent electrode;
• and
• analysing the energies of the secondary emission emanating from the bombarded specimen and passing through the transparent electrode to obtain an indication of the chemical character of the bombarded surface region of the specimen under analysis, whereby the resolution of the secondary emission analysis is increased in use due to the operation of the transparent electrode.