The effect of surface topography evolution on sputter profiling depth resolution in Si

Abstract

Abstract Experimental studies of the development of surface topography on Si surfaces during Ar + ion bombardment and sputter erosion indicates that the Si becomes continuously prismatically facetted and that facet dimensions increase linearly with mean eroded depth. These observations lead to an analytic model of the achievable depth resolution δ z / z 0 in sputter erosion which is independent, for deep profiles of z 0 .