Auger electron spectroscopy investigations of the effect of degradation of depth resolution and its influence on the interdiffusion data in thin film Au/Ag, Cu/Ag, Pd/Au and Pd/Cu multilayer structures

Abstract Auger depth profile investigations of interdiffusion in the bilayer and multilayer Au/Ag, Cu/Ag, Pd/Au and Pd/Cu thin film structures in the temperature range 423–573 K have been reported. Bilayers and multilayers have been obtained by successive evaporation onto the SiO 2 and Cu substrates with different surface topographies. The thickness of bilayers was changed from 50 to 200 nm, whereas the thickness of particular layers of the multilayer structure was changed from 20 to 80 nm. Interdiffusion data have been derived from the change of the slope of the profile at the interface of two layers, from the rate of rise of diffusant concentration inside the upper layer and from the change of the concentration amplitude in the multilayer structure. In all cases, the depth resolution was monitored and its influence on the interdiffusion data was studied.