ToF-ERDA measurement

Time-of-Flight Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ToF-ERDA) measurement for determining the elemental concentrations of thin films.

ToF-ERDA is capable of identifying all elements, including various hydrogen isotopes. It provides elemental depth profiles by determining the concentration of each element at different depths within a sample.

Typically, the method achieves detection limits ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 atomic percent and depth resolution between 5 and 20 nm. It is suitable for analyzing film with thicknesses between 20 and 500 nm. For accurate measurements, the sample surface should be smooth, with a roughness of less than 10 nm.

The method is inherently quantitative when analyzing thin films on typical substrates, such as such as silicon (Si), gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), gallium arsenide (GaAs) or indium phosphide (InP). So, reference samples are not needed to obtain quantitative results. The technique is particularly useful when analyzing light elements due to its good detection limits.

In addition to typical ToF-ERDA measurements, we also offer LI-ERDA (referred also as Foil ERDA) for more precise determination of hydrogen isotopes. The detection limits with LI-ERDA are typically around 0.01 atomic percent, and depth resolutions of ~1nm can be achieved. LI-ERDA only allows detection of the hydrogen isotopes.