Ss. Klein et al., HIGH-RESOLUTION ELASTIC RECOIL DEPTH PROFILING USING ALPHA-PARTICLE BEAMS - CERDA-TOF, Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms, 85(1-4), 1994, pp. 655-659
An improved coincidence time-of-flight recoil spectrometer is describe
d. The use of alpha-particles instead of heavy ions to eject the recoi
ls has the advantages of larger depth range and smaller target damage.
Multi-element analysis and element-selective depth profiling on thin
and moderately thick targets are demonstrated. A surface depth resolut
ion of 3 nm has been obtained for C-12 in carbon at a recoil angle phi
of 30-degrees. Resolution down to 1 nm is predicted when further comp
ensation of kinematic effects is realized; using very well defined bea
ms it might be possible to obtain atomic layer resolution. Strategies
to extend the present sensitivity of about 10(14) atoms/cm2 by one or
two orders of magnitude are discussed.