A New Technique for the Elemental Analysis of Thin Surface Layers of Solids

Abstract

It is shown that the combination of rf glow‐discharge sputtering and mass spectrometry provides a very sensitive method for determining the composition of thin surface layers of solids. The sample is immersed in an rf sputtering glow discharge and a fraction of those sputtered atoms which are ionized in the discharge by Penning ionization are monitored with a quadrupole mass filter. 10¹¹ sputtered atom/sec can readily be detected and considerable improvement in sensitivity can easily be anticipated. The sensitivity is comparable for all elements except He, Ne, and F and is independent of the matrix in which the species are contained; i.e., standards are not required. The matrix can be electrically insulating or conducting.