In electron spectroscopy, coefficient, proportional to the intensity measured for a pure sample of an element, by which the measured intensity for that element is divided in calculations to yield the atomic concentration or atomic fraction of the element present in the sample.
Notes: - The choice of atomic concentration or atomic fraction should be made clear.
- The type of sensitivity factor utilized should be appropriate for the formulae used in the quantification process and for the type of sample analysed, for example homogeneous samples or segregated layers.
- The source of sensitivity factors should be given to ensure that the correct matrix factors or other parameters are used. Matrix factors are significant and should be used with pure-element relative sensitivity factors.
- Sensitivity factors depend on parameters of the excitation source, the spectrometer, and the orientation of the sample to these parts of the instrument. The numerical values of the sensitivity factors can also depend on the method used to measure the peak intensities.
See also: average matrix relative sensitivity factor
Source:
PAC, 2020, 92, 1781. 'Glossary of methods and terms used in surface chemical analysis (IUPAC Recommendations 2020)' on page 1828 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0404)