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Preferential Sputtering Effects in Elemental Depth Profiling of Tellurium-Based Alloy Thin Films

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Abstract

The compositions of sputtered amorphous thin films of Se50Te50, Ge50Te50, and (Te90Ge5 In5)100-x 0 x=0-25 have been measured by electron microprobe x-ray analyzer (EMP) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) with sputter depth profiling. Preferential removal of certain elements from the surface region during sputtering is shown to significantly alter the AES-determined surface composition. The effects of sputtering ion mass (He1, Ar1, Xe1), Ar+ energy (1.5 and 4.0 keV), and target temperature (-100 and 25°C) were investigated. The degree of preferential sputtering is found to be controlled predominantly by differences in surface binding energy of the elements with secondary contributions in the case of 0 due to bombarding atom to target atom collisional energy transfer processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., 1675 West Maple Road, Troy, Michigan, 48084, USA

    R. C. Ross, G. L. Jones, S. S. Chao, J. P. deNeufville, E. J. Bjornard & J. E. Tyler

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  1. R. C. Ross
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  2. G. L. Jones
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  3. S. S. Chao
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  4. J. P. deNeufville
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  5. E. J. Bjornard
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  6. J. E. Tyler
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Ross, R.C., Jones, G.L., Chao, S.S. et al. Preferential Sputtering Effects in Elemental Depth Profiling of Tellurium-Based Alloy Thin Films. MRS Online Proceedings Library 69, 141–146 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-69-141

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/PROC-69-141

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