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Determination of Composition and Thickness of MnSi and MnGe Layers by EDS

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Abstract

Determination of composition and thickness is crucial for the preparation of thin layers. A separate measurement is possible; however, it could be time-consuming, and each technique requires a specifically prepared sample. Therefore, a combined, fast, and reliable technique would be advantageous. Calibration of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) integrated with scanning electron microscope (SEM) by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), weighting balance and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were performed for simultaneous and non-destructive concentration, area density and thickness measurements of MnSi and MnGe thin layers prepared by a reactive pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The linearity of calibrations was supported by Monte Carlo calculations. The calibrations enabled the evaluation of Mn concentration with a deviation better than 2.7 at.%. The area density was determined with a deviation better than 6.8 µg/cm2, and the thickness was determined with a deviation better than 4.1 nm for samples measured with a standard substrate. The thickness measurement calibration omitting the standard substrate measurement resulted in the higher deviation of 7.6 nm; however, it enabled double sample throughput and spatial analyses.

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Acknowledgements

The work was supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (grant 18-15613S) and by the Czech Academy of Sciences (Strategy AV21 research programme – Efficient energy conversion and storage).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Rozvojova 135, 160 00, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    M. Kostejn, R. Fajgar, V. Drinek & V. Jandova

  2. Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology, Technicka 5, 166 28, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    F. Novotny

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  1. M. Kostejn
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  2. R. Fajgar
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  3. V. Drinek
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  4. V. Jandova
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  5. F. Novotny
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Correspondence to M. Kostejn.

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Kostejn, M., Fajgar, R., Drinek, V. et al. Determination of Composition and Thickness of MnSi and MnGe Layers by EDS. J Nondestruct Eval 39, 40 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-020-00685-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-020-00685-2

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