AUGER-ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY AND SECONDARY-ION MASS-SPECTROSCOPY STUDY OF INTERDIFFUSION IN GOLD BISMUTH OXIDE AND ALUMINUM BISMUTH OXIDE THIN-FILMS

Thin-film bismuth oxide systems were prepared by depositing gold or aluminium on glass substrates, followed by deposition of bismuth over the gold or aluminium metal layer, after which thermal oxidation was carried out to yield a Bi2O3 layer. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and secondary-ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) were performed on these thin-film systems. AES results show that the average stoichiometry of bismuth oxide films is represented by Bi2O3. SIMS analysis suggests that the oxidation process results in extensive interdiffusion for the BiO(x)-Al-glass system. The extent of interdiffusion in the BiO(x)-Au glass system is certainly far less extensive than in the BiO(x)-Al-glass system.