Recent advances in the application of total reflection x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in the semiconductor industry

A review of the applications of total reflection x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (TRXPS) to the semiconductor surface are described. When the grazing angle of incident x-rays is below the critical angle of x-ray total reflection, the penetration depth of the x-rays into the material is strongly attenuated. Thus the surface sensitivity is enhanced, resulting in an increase in the XPS yield. This technique is particularly well suited to the study of surfaces in the thickness range 1-5 nm using soft x-rays with an energy of 1.4 keV, We have applied the TRXPS technique to the surface analysis of Si wafers. This paper is a review of data taken in our laboratories which illustrate its application to the surface analysis of Si wafers. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.