Precise XPS depth profile of soda–lime–silica float glass using C60 ion beam

The surface of a float glass was examined to investigate the effect of SO2 treatment, which relates with the optical property, by using a precise X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profile. For XPS depth profiling, Ar ion sputtering has been one of the most accepted techniques, while this technique has been known to be inadequate for quantitative analysis of glass including mobile ions such as soda–lime–silica glass. Recently we have reported that buckminsterfullerene (C60) ion sputtering allows us to obtain the precise depth profile with the suppression of the migration of mobile ions. In this paper, the newly developed XPS depth profiling technique is applied to soda–lime–silica float glass (70.4SiO2, 0.9Al2O3, 7.3MgO, 7.8CaO, 13.6Na2O in mol%). The precise analysis revealed that the eliminated layer of sodium ion affected the optical property of the float glass.

► Surface of a float glass was examined to investigate the effect of SO2 treatment on optical property.
► XPS analysis with C60 ion sputtering allows us to obtain the precise depth profile.
► Eliminated layer of sodium ion mainly affected the optical property of the float glass.
► Profiles of mobile ions changed with SO2 treatment and was different between top and bottom face.
► Hydrogen profile was almost coincident with the profiles of mobile ions with XPS.