Evaluation of the Shapes of Auger- and Secondary-Electron Linescans Across Interfaces With the Logistic Function

Published

July 1, 2006

Author(s)

Scott A. Wight, Cedric J. Powell

Abstract

We report on the use of the extended logistic function for fitting Auger-electron (AE) and secondary-electron (SE) linescans. Such fits provide convenient and objective measures of parameters describing the interface width and possible asymmetry of a linescan. We show examples of fits to AE and SE linescans for three types of samples. Fits to AE and SE data for a gold island on a carbon substrate gave useful measures of the lateral resolution of a scanning Auger microscope and tails present in the linescans showed evidence of imperfect alignment of the microscope. Fits to AE spectra obtained as the primary beam was scanned across an edge of Cr/Cr₂O₃ lines on an indium-tin-oxide substrate showed similar tails due to the effect of backscattered electrons on the generation of Auger electrons for primary energies between 15 keV and 25 keV. Fits with the logistic function to SE linescans across a fractured Ni/Cr multilayer sample and to AE and SE linescans across a sputtered crater of this sample provided useful measures of the interface width.

Citation

Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A

Volume

A24 No4

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

Auger electron spectroscopy, extended logistic function, interface width, lateral resolution, linescans, secondary electron

Citation

Wight, S. and Powell, C. (2006), Evaluation of the Shapes of Auger- and Secondary-Electron Linescans Across Interfaces With the Logistic Function, Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A (Accessed January 18, 2026)