Premium
Redeposition in AES sputter depth profiling of multilayer Cr/Ni thin films
Author(s) -
Zalar A.,
Hofmann S.
Publication year - 1988
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/sia.740120204
Subject(s) - sputtering , materials science , ion , analytical chemistry (journal) , thin film , sputter deposition , ion beam , optics , chemistry , nanotechnology , physics , organic chemistry , chromatography
During sputter depth profiling, a part of the sputtered matter is redeposited on the sample surface. In particular for rough surfaces, redeposition is expected to have a strong influence on the accuracy of the indepth analysis and on the depth resolution. To study these effects, simple model arrangements were utilized to simulate rought surfaces, which consisted of two differently inclined, adjacent planes of multilayer Cr/Ni thin films with smooth surfaces, inclined at two different angles. Depth profiling was performed by two‐point AES analysis, simultaneously on both planes, during sputtering with a rastered beam of 3 keV Ar + ions at incidence angles of 33°, 61° and 76°. The results show that the influence of redeposition on the depth resolution of AES sputter profiles depends on the geometric position of the neighbouring planes and on the ion incidence angle.