SIMS analysis of inorganic materials

—State-of-the art high-resolution SIMS depth profiling—

Abstract

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) is a well-established technique for materials characterization and has been used successfully for various applications. In particular, the technique is widely employed for the depth profiling of trace elements in inorganic materials. Furthermore, the ongoing reduction in the scale of semiconductor devices requires increasingly accurate and reproducible measurement with nm depth resolution in the near-surface region. In SIMS analysis, reactive primary ions such as oxygen and cesium are typically used to obtain high sensitivity. Bombardment with and the incorporation of these reactive ion species, however, can give rise to a number of side effects that distort the measured depth profiles. In spite of these problems associated with the use of oxygen and cesium primary ions, SIMS has achieved a remarkable level of performance when bombardment conditions are applied that minimize the side effects.