Temperature,roughness and depth resolution in ion sputter profiles

The depth resolutions of evaporated silver layers on polished polycrystalline copper substrates are studied at various temperatures during argon ion sputtemg with AES. A detailed analysis of the profile shape at the interface reveals the nature of contributions to the terms governing interface resolution. The profiles are all accurately described by an error function leading edge followed by an exponential trailing edge. The characteristic of the trailing edge is governed by the development of roughness which depends on the depth, z, sputtered as z^0.875. The roughness is reduced at elevated temperatures by the action of surface diffusion such that the maximum reduction occurs at the highest temperature and the lowest sputtering rate. The characteristic of the leading edge is composed of three terms added in quadrature, (i) defect-enhanced diffusion of copper into the silver film, (ii) roughness as above, and (iii) a constant term due to film nucleation. In the present samples the increased interdiffusion at elevated temperatures and low sputtering rates largely offsets the improvements in topography so that, overall, the depth resolution appears to be a very weak function of temperature. However, in other systems where interdiffusion is small, the resolution could be greatly enhanced.