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AES Depth Profiling of Semiconducting Epitaxial Layers with Thicknesses in the Nanometre Range Using an Ion Beam Bevelling Technique
Author(s) -
Procop M.,
Klein A.,
Rechenberg I.,
Krüger D.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
surface and interface analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1096-9918
pISSN - 0142-2421
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9918(199706)25:6<458::aid-sia270>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - overlayer , materials science , heterojunction , nanometre , bevel , profiling (computer programming) , semiconductor , ion beam , ion beam analysis , focused ion beam , optics , optoelectronics , ion , beam (structure) , chemistry , composite material , physics , structural engineering , organic chemistry , computer science , engineering , operating system
An ion beam technique has been developed that allows the preparation of bevels from semiconducting heteroepitaxial structures with smooth surfaces and very shallow angles between 0.1° and 0.001°. The bevels are used for AES depth profiling of heterostructures by the line scan technique. Comparison of measured and calculated line scans from (Al, Ga)As/GaAs and (Si, Ge)/Si test structures shows the contributions of the electron escape depth and the ion beam mixing to the depth resolution. Application examples are given for semiconductor laser structures where the interesting heterostructures are buried under a thick overlayer. For such structures, the depth profiling by a line scan across the bevel needs much less analysis time than conventional sputter depth profiling. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.