Intensity analysis of XPS spectra to determine oxide uniformity: Application to SiO2/Si interfaces

A simple method of determining oxide uniformity is derived which requires no knowledge of film thickness, escape depth, or film composition. The method involves only the measurement of oxide and substrate intensities and is illustrated by analysis of XPS spectral data for thin SiO₂ films grown both thermally and by low-temperature chemical vapor deposition on monocrystalline Si. A region 20–30 Å thick is found near the SiO₂/Si interface on thermally oxidized samples which has an inelastic mean free path 35% less than that found in the bulk oxide. This is interpreted as being due to lattice mismatch resulting in a strained region which is structurally, but not stoichiometrically, distinct from the bulk oxide.