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Ion Beam Etching

Ion etching is an important technique in the field of surface science and XPS - providing the capability to clean samples in vacuo, remove overlayers and reveal buried structures, and construct depth profiles to probe the spatial distribution of elements in the z-dimension.

Kratos Supra GCIS Minibeam 6

Monotomic etching

Gas cluster etching

Depth Profiling

Gas cluster systems offer a more sensitive option for ion etching, compared with monotomic ions (typically argon) - where large energies per unit charge often prove incompatible with soft materials such as polymers and organics.

With multiple options from small, high-energy clusters up to large clusters of up to 3000 atoms - HarwellXPS has the tools to provide the solution to your needs.

If you'd like to learn more about how these systems may benefit you - get in touch with us and we will be happy to discuss in detail your specific needs

Thermo Nexsa MAGCIS

The Thermo NEXSA MAGCIS system is capable of both monotomic and gas cluster ion beam etching

Monotomic Etching

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Gas Cluster Etching

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Depth Profiling

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Clusters vs monoenergetic ions

Analysis may be performed using monoenergetic argon ions, or using argon clusters of varying sizes. Monoenergetic argon beams are useful for sample cleaning and sample profiling where perhaps the understanding of the the underlying chemistry is not critical, whilst clusters are able to analyse many groups of materials previously inaccessible to monoenergetic XPS depth profiling which induced large scale damage to the surface and undesirable changes in the surface chemistry of the analyte.

Benefits

rapid depth profiling of polymers and soft materials
minimal observed damage in both organic and inorganic materials
efficient and rapid cleaning of surface contaminant prior to analysis.

Applications

surface preparation prior to analysis
depth profiling through organic multilayers
removal of thin oxide layers without damage or formation of suboxides at the surface
depth profiling thin organic films on inorganic substrates (for example, photoresists on semiconductors).

Availability

All systems at Harwell, Cardiff, UCL and Manchester are equipped with monoatomic sputtering, with cluster sources available at Harwell and Cardiff.