Fundamentals of the Layer-by-Layer Chemical Analysis of Heterogeneous Samples Using Secondary Ion Energy-mass Spectrometry

The experimental results presented in this paper demonstrate an opportunity for phase analysisof the surfacelayers of heterogeneous solidsusing the energy spectra of secondary ions (ESSI). The resultant ESSI from performing layer-by-layersputteringof thin-film systems using a stationary N2+ primary ion beam are presented and discussed. As examples of such studies, the depth distributions of the chemical compositions were studied on ZnO/Zn andInxAsyOz/InAs. An analysis of the simultaneous change in depth of both secondary molecular ion intensities and secondary atomic ion energy distributions (with reference to the target) enables the identification of separate phases.