AUGER-ION SPUTTER PROFILING OF SOME HOMOGENEOUS BINARY-SYSTEMS

Abstract Component depth distributions of some homogeneous binary systems have been measured by Auger analysis using sputter depth profiling under several sputter ion energies. The resulting sputtering curves can hardly reflect the original depth distribution. Some of the curves show that the components change monotonously from their bulk concentration with ion fluence while others show complex changes in the early stages of profiling. The steady-state concentrations predicted by an equation based on preferential sputtering arguments are in fairly good agreement with the experimental values. A proposition has been put forward to restore the damaged distribution curves.