Depth profiling of light elements in materials with high-energy ion beams

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1977 · J. Vac. Sci. Technol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1116/1.569240· OSTI ID:7330002

Terreault, B; Martel, J G; St-Jacques, R G; L'Ecuyer, J

The detection and depth profiling of light impurity elements near the surface of solids pose special difficulties of signal/background ratio and kinematics. We review some methods of getting around these problems. We limit ourselves to methods which (1) are nondestructive because they use the inelastic energy loss of charged particles traversing matter to gain depth information, rather than erosion of the sample, and (2) have wide applicability because they use elastic scattering rather than an isotope-specific nuclear reactions. Generally, the signal/background problem is alleviated by using an interaction process whose cross section does not increase rapidly (or not at all) with the A or Z of the target atoms. The kinematical problem: which often compounds the signal/background difficulty: is avoided by using a beam of different mass than usual, a different counting geometry than the usual backscattering, and/or thin foils for the samples. We describe in more detail the method of elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) and comment upon its difficulties and capabilities: applicable to all light atoms with Aapproximately-less-than10, it has a mass resolution of 1 amu for a 0.3-..mu..m profile, a sensitivity in the 10/sup -9/--10/sup -8/ g/cm/sup 2/ range and a depth resolution or 0.03 ..mu..m, improvable to 0.01 ..mu..m. Some implanted helium profiles of interest in CTR technology are shown to illustrate.

• Research Organization: Centre de l'Energie, INRS, Universite du Quebec, C.P. 1020, Varennes, Quebec, Canada
• OSTI ID: 7330002
• Journal Information: J. Vac. Sci. Technol.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Vac. Sci. Technol.; (United States) Vol. 14:1; ISSN JVSTA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640301* -- Atomic
Molecular & Chemical Physics-- Beams & their Reactions
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BACKSCATTERING
BARYONS
BEAMS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
COPPER
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LOSSES
ENERGY SPECTRA
FERMIONS
HADRONS
HELIUM IONS
IMPURITIES
ION BEAMS
ION IMPLANTATION
ION SCATTERING ANALYSIS
METALS
MOLYBDENUM
NIOBIUM
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
NUCLEONS
PROTONS
RECOILS
REFRACTORY METALS
RESOLUTION
SCATTERING
SENSITIVITY
SPECTRA
STOPPING POWER
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VANADIUM