Thickness determination of few-layer hexagonal boron nitride films by scanning electron microscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy

Journal Article · Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · APL Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4889815· OSTI ID:22303739

Sutter, E. ^[1]

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1. Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973 (United States)

We assess scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) for thickness measurements on few-layer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), the layered dielectric of choice for integration with graphene and other two-dimensional materials. Observations on h-BN islands with large, atomically flat terraces show that the secondary electron intensity in SEM reflects monolayer height changes in films up to least 10 atomic layers thickness. From a quantitative analysis of AES data, the energy-dependent electron escape depth in h-BN films is deduced. The results show that AES is suitable for absolute thickness measurements of few-layer h-BN of 1 to 6 layers.

• OSTI ID: 22303739
• Journal Information: APL Materials, Vol. 2, Issue 9; Other Information: (c) 2014 Author(s); Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2166-532X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
AUGER ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
BORON NITRIDES
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
FILMS
GRAPHENE
SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
THICKNESS