Correction of the escape depth effect in sputter depth profiles

The validity of the deconvolution of experimental sputter depth profiles in order to obtain the quantitatively correct concentration profile of for example a thin film or across an interface has recently been demonstrated. The object of the deconvolution process is to subtract from the experimental results the masking effects of both the instrumental effects and those attributed to the sputtering process itself. The two main problems found in the application of a deconvolution method are first the choice of the particular deconvolution procedure and secondly the selection of the most appropriate resolution function. Having shown in a previous paper the validity of the power series deconvolution method for a gaussian resolution function, the authors extend the procedure to the case of an exponential resolution function in order to take into account the information mean depth of the analytical technique. (Auth.)