Kenji Nakano

Sidewall-Less Depth Profiling with Auger Electron Spectroscopy

In Auger depth profiling in combination with ion sputtering, use of an insular sample has improved the depth resolution and has enabled pinpoint analysis without extending measurement time. An island capped with an erosion-resistant film remains on the substrate after chemical etching. When the island is prepared to be smaller than the area subjected to ion irradiation, no crater or its sidewall appears during depth profiling. It is demonstrated that in the determination of depth resolution, surface roughening owing to sputter deposition from the sidewall of a crater plays a key role, in addition to the interference by signals from a sidewall.