Three dimensional image construction and spectrum extraction from two dimensional elemental mapping in Auger electron spectroscopy

Abstract

Three dimensional Auger elemental distributions have been constructed from the combination of high spatial resolution, two dimensional Auger maps obtained at multiple sputter depths. These three dimensional elemental distributions have been used to compare the interfacial regions for two kinds of silicon on insulator wafers. It is clearly seen that silicon oxide is formed as an island structure for the SIMOX specimen, whereas the UNIBOND specimen has a featureless structure at the Si∕SiO2 interface. Linear least squares fitting from several two dimensional maps obtained at different energies have been used to produce energy dispersive spectra from specific regions of high spatial resolution Auger maps. This technique was used to examine the interface region exposed from sputter craters through a silicon dioxide layer on a silicon substrate and through a Ni silicide film on a silicon substrate. The Si LVV spectra for the elemental silicon, oxide, and silicide components extracted from the multiple energy two dimensional maps can be used to map the chemical components in the interfacial regions.

Effects of Electron Back-scattering in Observations of Cross-sectioned GaAs/AlAs Superlattice with Auger Electron Spectroscopy

“…In the middle of the 1960's the electron beam diameter was of the order of mm's, 1 decreasing to the order of 100 nm, 2 with the presently available spatial resolution being less than 10 nm. 3 Owing to this development AES has matured as a very powerful technique for nm-size area surface analysis. 4 The information depth in AES is mainly described by the inelastic mean free path (IMFP) 5 depending on the Auger electron kinetic energies, though the primary electron beam with an energy of several keV penetrates to a depth of μm's.…”