Rare-earth silicide thin film study. Comparison of heavy ion and conventional RBS

Abstract

Rare-earth silicides have been studied by RBS spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. 12C and 4He RBS at 10 and 2 MeV, respectively, were used in order to compare heavy ion RBS (HIRBS) with conventional 4He RBS. 12C RBS gives better mass resolution for heavy elements ( M > 28 amu), but slightly poorer depth resolution in comparison with conventional RBS. In addition, the limited accuracy with which stopping power data of 12C are known limits the accuracy of HIRBS.