A method of simultaneous determination of chlorine and sodium distribution in silicon-oxides by neutron activation followed by γ-spectrometry

The method presented is suitable for studying the content and distribution of chlorine and sodium in silicon-oxides. It is possible to determine the absolute content of these elements in the interface layer, but their concentration can only be estimated. The absolute lower limit of determination is 1.8x1015 and 1.9x1015 atoms for chlorine and sodium, respectively which corresponds to 7.3x1018 and 7.9x1018 atoms/cm3 of Si for chlorine and sodium, when the determination is carried out in the whole oxide layer of a thickness of 120 nm and of an area of 20 cm2. In all examined cases the content of chlorine (in terms of atoms) was much higher than that of sodium, particularly in the interface layers. (author)