ANALYSIS OF NITRIDE FILMS ON SILICON SUBSTRATES BY ION-BEAM METHODS

The simultaneous determination of light element contamination levels a nd accurate nitrogen-to-metal ratios in nitride thin films deposited o n silicon substrates is demonstrated by using alpha-particle beam ener gies in the range 3-4 MeV. In this energy range, significant light ele ment sensitivity enhancements are observed, while the heavy elements s how classical Rutherford behavior. The use of resonance scattering at different resonance energies is shown to be the method of choice for a nalyzing BN films on silicon. Also, a technique is suggested for analy zing very thin films in which an aluminum foil substrate and buffer la yer are used to enhance sensitivities.