Determination of relative sputtering yield of Cr/Si

To understand the various effects induced by the ion bombardment one needs to know the sputtering yields for the sputtering conditions applied. Experimental data are rare however, and the reliability of the calculated values should be checked. Thus the measurement of sputtering yield is important. Recently, we have published a work where we have applied AES depth profiling to determine the relative sputtering yield Barna A, Menyhard M, Kotis L, Kovacs GyJ, Radnoczi G, Zalar A, et al. J Appl Phys 2005; 98:024901-6]. In this communication, we will describe the method in a more detailed way discussing the reliability as well. It will be applied for Si/Cr multilayer structure (similar to those used in devices of integrated electronics) consisting three Si and three Cr layers sputter deposited onto smooth silicon substrates. The ion energy and projectile were 1 keV and Ar⁺, respectively. The angle of incidence varied in the range 22°-87°. The reliability of the derived relative sputtering yields will be discussed and will be compared with those provided by the available simulation.