Radiation damage yields across the carbon 1s excitation edge

X-rays are used as a probe in many materials analysis techniques, but they may induce changes in the sample that can invalidate the measurement. Strategies that overcome “radiation damage” are therefore desirable. Tuning the incident photon energy below a core electron excitation edge of a material (where only valence excitation takes place) rather than above it (where primarily core excitation occurs) has been theorized as a way to reduce radiation damage. To investigate this strategy, we used a scanning transmission X-ray microscope to expose thin films of organic polymers to X-rays with photon energies below and above the C 1s excitation edge. The extent of radiation damage was quantified by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and lithography. We found that the amount of radiation damage per unit absorbed dose was the same using incident photons below and above the C 1s excitation edge. We conclude that the turn on of Auger processes when C 1s holes are created does not affect the overall radiation damage outcome.