The science and technology of ultrasmall three-dimensional materials systems has been developing rapidly the last 20 years or so. Catalysts, coatings, composites, as well as electronic device structures—all rely on materials properties on an atomic scale. To develop such new materials and understand the chemical and physical properties that determine their unique behavior, we also require analytical tools with atomic level spatial resolution and at the same time the desired measurement capability. This need, along with extensive scientific interest in the fundamental chemical and physical properties of free surfaces, has led to the continued development of microanalytical chemical analysis techniques over the past 20 years. Most readers will be familiar with many of these techniques with acronyms such as AES, XPS, RBS, SIMS, ESCA, etc. This issue of the MRS BULLETIN will review some recent advances in the development of these techniques as well as introduce new techniques with significant advantages over the older ones.

As you can see from the thickness of this issue, it is difficult to cover the entire field in a finite amount of space. This led us to limit the discussion to those microanalytical tools which can easily be applied to the analysis of buried interface structures such as those found in semiconductor devices.

This article discusses the underlying principles of Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Consideration of the theory of the interaction of high energy ions with solids leads to the conclusion that quantitative elemental analysis of the near-surface composition of solids can be performed by RBS. Examples are given.

This article discusses uses of high energy ion beam scattering for materials analysis, including channeling, particle induced x-ray emission (PIXE), and nuclear reaction analysis (NRA). These additional capabilities used in conjunction with RBS equipment provide capabilities for crystalline defect studies and light element detection.

The fundamentals of the high energy ion beam technique Elastic Recoil Detection are presented. The potential of this analysis technique for the depth-resolved determination of light elements in a heavy matrix is illustrated with examples from semiconductor technology.

This article presents an overview of our current understanding of the fundamental factors underlying Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). Included is a discussion of the sputtering process and possible mechanisms which produce ejected ions. Presently available instrumentation for SIMS analysis is discussed and some examples of SIMS analysis are also given.

Sputtered neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS) is a technique for elemental and isotopic analysis with excellent detection limits, with similar sensitivity for all elements and without substantial matrix effects. Particles sputter atomized from the sample surface are ionized and mass spectrometrically measured. Elemental detection limits are routinely 1–10 ppm, but can be as low as 1–10 ppb. Particular modes of SNMS enable the measurement of accurate concentration depth profiles with resolutions approaching 20 Å and the measurement of electrically insulating samples.

An overview is presented of a recently developed surface analysis method that combines (1) desorption of neutral atoms and molecules from a sample, typically by sputtering, (2) efficient uniform ionization close to but above the surface by an intense ultraviolet laser beam, and (3) time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This technique, surface analysis by laser ionization, or SALI, provides extremely efficient and sensitive quantitative analysis of surfaces and materials with high depth resolution. Essentially any type of material can be analyzed as evidenced by the examples presented here: the Au-GaAs system, a phosphor-silicate glass, and a bulk polymer.

Rapid progress in the development of new electronic materials and the steady maturation of silicon-based technologies has resulted in a host of novel electronic devices in which the active region of the structure is confined to an interface or a surface. The chemical, electronic, and physical characterization of surfaces and interfaces in semiconductors and insulators is of critical importance to manufacturing process control as well as to the fundamental electron physics and materials science which support microelectronic device research.

The changes in Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) equipment since 1982 have significantly expanded the range of applications and general utility of the technique. Most of these changes center around improvements in spatial resolution although there have also been improvements in speed and energy resolution. The implications of these changes extend beyond the obvious ability to obtain information from small features on samples.

The three major approaches to controlling spatial resolution are: (1) defined area x-ray sources, (2) limited field-of-view electron analyzers, and (3) imaging electron analyzers. Each of these will be reviewed briefly and their salient features contrasted. These advances in the instrumentation have brought about the following benefits to users of the ESCA technique: (1) ability to analyze small features, (2) rapid depth profiling, (3) multiple samples, and (4) improved charging control. Examples are included.

Fundamental principles and experimental procedures for fully utilizing the power of Auger analysis are discussed. Topics include: quantitative analysis, high resolution imaging, depth profiling, and noise reduction. These studies reveal several improvements that might be expected in the immediate future and how they might be achieved. Some knowledge of Auger spectroscopy is assumed, but references on theory, principles, instrumentation, and applications are cited.

Scanning Auger microscopy is a developing field which has by no means reached its limits either in instrumentation or methodology. Two areas of progress in the microanalysis of materials are the quantification of micro-area spectra and the collection and analysis of Auger images. For microanalysis, some strategies for the quantification of spectra depend on determining the shape of the secondary electron background. Developments in the method of linearized secondary-electron cascades give promise to achieving this. Analyses of materials by multispectral Auger imaging show that it is possible to give a meaningful and quantifiable representation of the inhomogeneities across a surface in the form of color-coded statistically significant images.