Scanning Auger electron spectroscopic investigations of magnetostrictive nanoscale multilayers

The characterisation of thin magnetostrictive multilayers in the nanometers cale range [(4,5nmTb(40)Fe(60)/9nmFe)x100] demands a surface sensitive anal ytical technique. A suitable technique is scanning Auger Electron Spectrosc opy (AES) to determine the elemental composition, the thickness, the presen ce of interdiffusion between thin layers, or the presence of contamination at interfaces. Auger sputter depth profiles are obtained by using Xe-Ion bo mbardment to etch the sample. Sample rotation during sputtering produces sh allow craters, minimises roughening and enhances depth resolution. In addit ion, Auger maps of the craters are used to reveal the separated magnetostri ctive Tb40Fe60 layers and soft magnetic Fe layers.