Matrix effect in quantitative Auger analysis of binary alloys: Comparison between the measured and the calculated values

Abstract

Matrix factors in quantitative AES analyses of binary alloys of AlNi, AuCu, AuNi, CuNi, CuPt and NiPt were studied. Using the in-situ scraping method, matrix factors were experimentally determined with an accuracy better than 5% or 10%. For comparison, matrix factors were calculated using the methods of: Reuter and Seah and Dench (R-SD); Reuter and Tokutaka, Nishimori and Hayashi (R-TNH); Reuter and Tanuma, Powell and Penn (R-TPP); Shimizu and Ichimura and Seah and Dench (SISD); SITNH and SITPP. By comparing the calculated values with the experimental results, we conclude that, the choice of the backscattering factor data, either after R or after SI, only marginally affects the resulting matrix effect despite the fact that their data differ considerably from each other. The most important effect stems from the choice of escape depth. When SD's data are adopted, the calculated values differ significantly from the experimental results except in the case of CuNi. By comparison, when TNH's data (in all of the studied cases) or TPP's data (except in the case of Al-Ni) are adopted, the calculated values are in good agreement with the observed values. This result also implies that the escape depth of Auger electrons depends on the materials in the manner suggested by TNH and TPP rather than the one suggested by SD.