title: Surface and thin-film analysis: Concepts, capabilities and limitations.
abstract: A brief survey of the concepts and limiting conditions of instrumental surface-analysis techniques and their use for in-depth distribution analysis of thin films is presented. The basic differences between the most important methods: Photoelectron Spectroscopy (ESCA), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), Secondary-Ion Mass-Spectrometry (SIMS) and Ion-Scattering Spectrometry (ISS) are outlined. Examples of compositional profiles obtained in combination with sputtering illustrate the influence of information depth and of bombardment-induced micro-roughening on the accuracy of in-depth analysis.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Metallforschung, Institut für Werkstoffwissenschaften Seestrasse 92, 7000 Stuttgart, G.F.R.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hofmann