| AVS 57th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Applied Surface Science | Thursday Sessions |
| Session AS1-ThM |
| Session: | Advanced Automation and Data Processing |
| Presenter: | A.J. Roberts, Kratos Analytical Ltd., UK |
| Authors: | A.J. Roberts, Kratos Analytical Ltd., UK G. Mishra, Kratos Analytical Ltd., UK K. Macak, Kratos Analytical Ltd., UK C. Moffitt, Kratos Analytical Inc., UK |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The application of thin films with nanometre thickness is being driven by their use in many industries. Angle resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS) is a uniquely placed technique providing non-destructive quantitative chemical state depth distribution of elements in the first few nanometres of a surface.
Acquisition of ARXPS using modern instrumentation is now straight forward but determining the depth distribution of elements and their chemistry is more challenging. One numerical method for the reconstruction of depth profile data from ARXPS is the maximum entropy method (MEM). The precision of the reconstructed depth profile depends both on the noise in the experimental data and on the accuracy of the physical model. Furthermore effects of elastic scattering of the photoelectrons and analyser acceptance angle of the analyser must also be adequately accounted for. The influence of the fitting algorithm on reconstructed depth profiles from ARXPS has recently been reviewed [1] for high-k multilayer materials with emphasis on the importance of prior knowledge and/or constraints to achieve high quality profiles. Work presented here expands on the previous conclusions and explores the effect of data collection conditions such as instrument operating mode, analyser collection angle and signal to noise on the reliability of reconstructed profiles for multilayer thin films and modified surfaces.
[1] T. Conard, K. Macak, G. Mishra, W. Vandervorst IUVSTA-59 Workshop