The objective of successful XPS sputter depth profiling is to accurately identify the layer thicknesses and chemical composition of materials within thin film structures. Cluster ion beam sputtering has been widely used in recent years with the intent to address this essential analytical goal for a broader range of materials, including organic materials. C60 cluster ion beam sputtering provided the first access to quantitative chemical state information below the surface for many polymers, organic and inorganic oxide materials [1].

The recent introduction of argon gas cluster ion beam sputtering to the XPS community has further expanded the capability of successful depth profiling with an emphasis on preserving the chemical structure of challenging polymer and organic materials that exhibit rapid radiation induced damage due to the mobility and reactivity of free radicals that are formed during the sputtering process when other ion sources are used [2].

The purpose of this study is to present a comparative evaluation to quantify the benefits of using either C60 or argon gas cluster ion beam sputtering for XPS compositional depth profiling by characterizing several standard organic and inorganic thin film structures.