Advances in Auger Electron Spectroscopy and its Applications in the Field of Nanotechnology

Abstract

The field of nanotechnology has expanded with advances in high resolution imaging. Though these high resolution imaging techniques help one visualize these nano-structures, it is essential to understand the chemical nature of these materials and their growth mechanisms. Surface modifications can alter the bulk properties of these nanostructures and conventional characterization techniques associated with imaging systems are not capable of detecting these changes. Modern state of the art Scanning Auger Microscopy systems provide valuable elemental and chemical characterization for these structures with a spatial resolution better than 10 nm and depth resolutions of a few nm. In this presentation we will review some unique features of the Scanning Auger Microscopy technique and highlight their applications in characterizing elemental and chemical structures in the areas of nanotechnology, metallurgy and semiconductors in conjunction with traditional microscopy techniques such as FIB cross section sample preparation.

Exploring the Differences in Spatial Resolution between Auger and EDS Elemental Mapping

“…The electron beam can be probed across the surface of the sample to create elemental maps within a given region of the sample, which is known as SAM. The spatial resolution of SAM elemental images has shown to be in the range of 6-8 nm [2].…”