Secondary ion quadrupole mass spectrometer for depth profiling--design and performance evaluation

A quadrupole-based secondary ion mass spectrometer designed for depth profiling is described which combines ultrahigh vacuum construction with high sputtering rate, detection sensitivity, depth resolution, mass spectral purity, and abundance sensitivity. Impurities such as B and Al implanted in Si can be profiled to levels below one part per million atomic (ppma), at a depth resolution equal to that obtained by commercial ion microprobes. The primary beam consists of 5-keV, mass-analyzed (40)Ar(+) ions, focused to about 70 microm in diameter. Its high current density (>25mA/cm(2)) permits adequate beam rastering and electronic signal-gating to optimize depth resolution. A secondary ion extraction lens and spherical energy filter are responsible for achieving abundance sensitivities of five to six orders of magnitude on the low mass side of a matrix peak. The ultrahigh vacuum environment of the sample dramatically reduces molecular peaks containing H, C, and O, allowing even hydrogen to be profiled to concentrations below 10 ppma. Because large amounts of data are generated by multi-element depth profiling, means for automated instrument control and data acquisition have been developed.