Depth profiling background subtraction

As an example of the use of AES to obtain chemical, as well as elemental, information, the depth profiling of a nitrided silicon dioxide layer on a silicon substrate is shown in Figure 6. Using the linearized secondary electron cascade background subtraction technique and peak fitting of chemical line shape standards, the chemistry in the depth profile of the nitrided silicon dioxide layer was determined and is shown in Figure 6. This profile includes information on the percentage of the Si atoms that are bound in each of the chemistries present as a function of the depth in the film. 

FIGURE 14.19 Depth profiles of Zn for all investigated cores. Please take notice of the equal depth scale (y axis) and the partly different scales for concentrations (x axis). The anthropogenic part of the total concentrations is dark gray colored (natural background subtracted). 

---