A new method for determining the sharpness of InGaAs/GaAs heterojunctions by auger depth profiling

It is established for the first time that the phenomenon of ion-stimulated surface segregation can be used to increase the depth resolution of Auger profiling during analysis of the In_x Ga_{1 − x} As/GaAs heterostructures. It is demonstrated that, by varying the energy of the sputtering Ar⁺ ion beam from 1 to 0.5 keV in the region of the GaAs/InGaAs heterojunction, the junction sharpness can be estimated at a resolution on the order of 0.5 nm determined by a difference in the projected range of Ar⁺ ions and independent of the escape depth of the Auger electrons.