Open AccessDetermination of copper nanoparticle size distributions with total reflection X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy
Author(s) -
Singh Andy,
Luening Katharina,
Brennan Sean,
Homma Takayuki,
Kubo Nobuhiro,
Nowak Stanisław H.,
Pianetta Piero
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of synchrotron radiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 99
ISSN - 1600-5775
DOI - 10.1107/s1600577516015484
Subject(s) - x ray fluorescence , particle (ecology) , ultrapure water , analytical chemistry (journal) , copper , impurity , total internal reflection , materials science , chemistry , spectroscopy , silicon , fluorescence , optics , metallurgy , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , physics , organic chemistry , chromatography , quantum mechanics , geology , oceanography
Total reflection X‐ray fluorescence (TXRF) analysis is extensively used by the semiconductor industry for measuring trace metal contamination on silicon surfaces. In addition to determining the quantity of impurities on a surface, TXRF can reveal information about the vertical distribution of contaminants by measuring the fluorescence signal as a function of the angle of incidence. In this study, two samples were intentionally contaminated with copper in non‐deoxygenated and deoxygenated ultrapure water (UPW) resulting in impurity profiles that were either atomically dispersed in a thin film or particle‐like, respectively. The concentration profile of the samples immersed into deoxygenated UPW was calculated using a theoretical concentration profile representative of particles, yielding a mean particle height of 16.1 nm. However, the resulting theoretical profile suggested that a distribution of particle heights exists on the surface. The fit of the angular distribution data was further refined by minimizing the residual error of a least‐squares fit employing a model with a Gaussian distribution of particle heights about the mean height. The presence of a height distribution was also confirmed with atomic force microscopy measurements.