Depth of origin of sputtered atoms (Technical Report)

Abstract

Names of countries given after Members' names are in accordance with the ZUPAC Handbook 1991-93; changes will be effected in the 1993-95 edition.Republication of this report is permitted without the need for formal IUPAC permission on condition that an acknowledgement, with full reference together with IUPAC copyright symbol (0 I993 IUPAC), is printed.Publication of a translation into another language is subject to the additional condition of prior approval from the relevant IUPAC National Adhering Organization. Unauthenticated Download Date | 5/9/18 10:10 PM Depth of origin of sputtered atoms (Technical Report) AbstractSputtering, the ejection of target material following bombardment by energetic ions, is an extremely important technological process. Sputtering is a particularly important technique for the surface analyst, since it is used for both quantitative analysis of impurity concentrations and determination of depth distributions of impurities. Because of the complexity of sputtering, many of its fundamental parameters are difficult to ascertain. The depth of origin of sputtered atoms is a fundamental parameter of the sputtering process which, until recently, has been the subject of considerable controversy. Fortunately, both experiments and theory have improved greatly in this area, allowing a consensus to be reached on this important parameter. This report describes and evaluates these critical experiments and theories.

High Useful Yield and Isotopic Analysis of Uranium by Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry

“…The first factor, the composition of the sputtered flux, is dominantly affected by the oxidation state of the sample surface. The depth of origin of sputtered species is only 1–2 monolayers, and it is well-known that U sputters overwhelmingly as uranium oxides when oxygen is present on the surface. Measurements on cuprosklodowskite, a uranium-bearing silicate mineral, showed a RIMS useful yield of 5 × 10 –5 , which was attributed to the dominance of oxides in the sputtered flux .…”