Characterization and production monitoring of thin films using soft X-ray spectroscopy

Abstract The feasibility of using soft X-ray spectroscopy for in situ on-line analysis of thin films produced by reactive magnetron sputtering has been investigated. A high performance grazing incidence instrument of novel design was used to record spectra in the 380–550 eV range from thin films of titanium, TiN and TiO 2 . The growth of the film could be monitored and impurities or unbalanced gas flows detected. Small amounts of oxidation, such as that corresponding to 90 min exposure of a titanium metal film to a background pressure of below 6 x 10 -7 mbar, was clearly observed. The results show that a continuous in situ monitoring with respect to both elemental analysis and chemical characterization is feasible on a time scale of technological interest.