AUGER LAYER GROWTH CALCULATIONS FOR A B/A HETEROSTRUCTURES/

Auger electron spectroscopy has been applied to determine the near-sur face composition of thin A/B/A heterostructures. General equations are established in terms of inelastic mean free path ratios for presumed layer growth conditions, for an analyser geometry which can be specifi ed in terms of a sample tilt angle (alpha) and ranges of take-off angl es (theta, phi). Use of a controlled glancing incidence, in conjunctio n with RHEED, gives high surface sensitivity. Applications to the tech nically interesting systems Si/Ge/Si(100) and Fe/Ag/Fe(110) are given; comparison with experiment is used to infer the growth morphology, ex tent of surface segregation and interdiffusion.