AES Depth Profiling of Semiconducting Epitaxial Layers with Thicknesses in the Nanometre Range Using an Ion Beam Bevelling Technique
M. Procop1, A. Klein2, I. Rechenberg2 and D. Krüger3
Published in:
Surf. Interface Anal., vol. 25, pp. 458-463 (1997).
Abstract:
An ion beam technique has been developed that allows the preparation of bevels from semiconducting hetero-epitaxial structures with smooth surfaces and very shallow angles between 0.1° and 0.001°. The bevels are used for AES depth profiling of heterostructures by the line scan technique. Comparison of measured and calculated line scans from (Al, Ga)As/GaAs and (Si, Ge)/Si test structures shows the contributions of the electron escape depth and the ion beam mixing to the depth resolution. Application examples are given for semiconductor laser structures where the interesting heterostructures are buried under a thick overlayer. For such structures, the depth profiling by a line scan across the bevel needs much less analysis time than conventional sputter depth profiling.
1 Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, D-12200 Berlin, Germany
2 Ferdinand-Braun-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik, Rudower Chaussee 5, D-12484 Berlin, Germany
3 Institut für Halbleiterphysik, PSF 409, D-15204 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
Keywords:
AES, depth profiling, ion beam bevelling
© 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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