Quantitative Auger electron spectroscopy of SiC

The article is devoted to quantitative Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) of silicon carbide (SiC). It compares the results obtained by various procedures applied to LVV and KLL Auger peaks of silicon (Si) for determining the Auger current. We have found that reliable results for the content of Si in SiC can be achieved by the method in which the Auger current is determined as the area below the Auger peak in the direct N(E) spectrum after subtracting the background of inelastically scattered Auger electrons of the given peak and of the so-called true secondary electrons. The achieved results have also shown that bombardment of SiC by Ar+ ions with energy 1 keV at an angle of 68 degrees with respect to the surface normal while the sample rotates at 6 rpm leads to Si depletion of SiC in comparison with its stoichiometric composition. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.