UNSPECIFIED (1996) Noise, resolution and entropy in sputter profiling. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON SERIES A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES, 354 (1719). pp. 2713-2729.

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Applications of semiconductor sputter profiling in the near future will demand nm or even sub-nm depth resolution, i.e. the ability to distinguish between adjacent features in a concentration profile which are separated by 1 nm or less (not just the ability to achieve a 16-84% width of 1 nm on some edge transient). Recent developments in SIMS indicate that sputter profiling can meet this challenge-provided that instruments with high current microfocus beams less than 1 keV in energy become widely available, and data processing methods are developed to cope with the results. In this paper we discuss the nature of SIMS sputter profile data in detail and explore the consequences of noise, finite sample interval and the destruction of information by processes such as atomic mixing. The use of empirically determined response functions is discussed. We use simple arguments to show that convolution is only a valid model for atomic mixing in the low concentration limit, and contrast the use of Fourier transform and maximum entropy methods for deconvolution in these circumstances. A depth resolution of 1 nm is demonstrated without deconvolution, showing that the technique has real potential for depth resolution on the scale of 1 atomic plane.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	Q Science
Journal or Publication Title:	PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON SERIES A-MATHEMATICAL PHYSICAL AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES
Publisher:	ROYAL SOC LONDON
Date:	15 November 1996
Volume:	354
Number:	1719
Number of Pages:	17
Page Range:	pp. 2713-2729
Publication Status:	Published
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/18241

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

Request changes to a record

Actions (login required)

View Item