AVS 49th International Symposium
    Applied Surface Science Tuesday Sessions
       Session AS-TuP

Paper AS-TuP14
Comparison of Experimental Protocol for Low Energy Sputter Yield Measurements of Advanced Materials as a Function of Sputtering Angle

Tuesday, November 5, 2002, 5:30 pm, Room Exhibit Hall B2

Session: Topics in Applied Surface Science
Presenter: V.S. Smentkowski, General Electric - Global Research Center
Authors: V.S. Smentkowski, General Electric - Global Research Center
S. Hu, Lockheed Martin
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We will report two different experimental protocol that can be used to measure the sputter yield of advanced materials as a function of sputtering angle. One protocol uses standard surface analytical instrumentation while the second protocol utilizes a home built system containing a broad-beam (Kaufman) ion source. Low energy (350 eV and below) Xe was used for all measurements. When the samples were sputtered at normal incidence, the data generated using the two protocol agreed, however as the sputtering angle increased a divergence was noted in the data sets. It will be demonstrated that the divergence correlates with a change in the surface topography, which biases the data generated using one of the protocol. As part of this study, we measured the sputtering yield of silicone dioxide thin films obtained from different vendors and noted that the yield varied. Possible explanations for this effect will be reported. We believe that effects such as these are partially responsible for the lack of agreement in other sputter yield measurements reported in the literature.