Ultra-high depth resolution RES and SIMS of the modification of a Ge delta in Si during 2 keV O2+ sputtering

The modification of a Ge delta layer in Si during 2 keV O-2(+): sputter depth profiling was studied. After exposure to various O-2(+) doses, the Ge profiles were measured using ultra-high resolution Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and ultra-high resolution secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). We observed that the Ce distribution broadened when the penetrating ions H err able to reach the delta layer. A few nanometers after the maximum in sputtering of Ge, the dilute limit was reached: the shape of the remaining Ge profile was constant, the profile diminished in intensity and shifted as fast as the surface eroded. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.