Elastic recoil detection by time of flight system for analysis of light elements in thin film

An Elastic Recoil Detection by Time of Flight (ERD-TOF) system - a method for determination of absolute quantities of light elements in thin films by using a Cl-35 beam - was constructed, characterized, and applied to a sample. TOF spectrometer system consisted of two time detectors and one energy detector. A 10-mu g/cm(2) carbon film and a micro channel plate (MCP) were used in a time-zero detector. The efficiency and the time resolution of the spectrometer were observed by the backscattering method. The mass resolution, the depth resolution, and the accessible depth of the ERD-TOF system were also investigated. A depth resolution of 60 Angstrom and an accessible depth of 3000 Angstrom were achieved for the B-10, B-11, C, N, and O present in BN(C,O)/Si films. It is estimated that quantities as small as 10(13) atoms/cm(2) carl be detected without difficulty.