Improved depth resolution of secondary ion mass spectrometry profiles in diamond: A quantitative analysis of the delta-doping

Abstract In this work, we used the depth resolution function (DRF) of the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to deconvolve the boron depth profile of nanometer-thin embedded diamond layers. Thanks to an isotopic change within a thin layer, where carbon-12 (12C) and carbon-13 (13C) are substituted, the DRF was evaluated by a self-consistent algorithm. In a second step, this DRF was used to deconvolve the boron depth profile of a double delta-doped diamond analyzed under the same ion beam condition. The expected position, thickness, and boron concentration of the embedded layers were confirmed. This technique has enhanced the SIMS performance, and the depth resolution reached the nanometer range. Interface widths of boron-doped diamond multilayers were resolved well below 1 nm/decade over a large doping range, from 3 × 1016 cm− 3 to 1.2 × 1021 cm− 3, and confirmed a conformal growth layer by layer.