Composition Analysis by STEM-EDX of Ternary Semiconductors by Internal References

A practical method to determine the composition within ternary heterostructured semiconductor compounds using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in scanning transmission electron microscopy is presented. The method requires minimal external input factors such as user-determined or calculated sensitivity factors by incorporating a known compositional relationship, here a fixed stoichiometric ratio in III–V compound semiconductors. The method is demonstrated for three different systems; AlGaAs/GaAs, GaAsSb/GaAs, and InGaN/GaN with three different specimen geometries and compared to conventional quantification approaches. The method incorporates absorption effects influencing the composition analysis without the need to know the thickness of the specimen. Large variations in absorption conditions and assumptions regarding the reference area limit the accuracy of the developed method.