AUGER ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY IN SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY: POTENTIAL MEASUREMENTS

Abstract

The Auger electron spectrum was measured, using an electron spectrometer mounted in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The shift in the energy of a differentiated carbon and oxygen Auger electron peak was measured as a function of an applied potential on the surface of a specimen. The accuracy of the potential measurements is shown to be quite insensitive to transverse electric fields, and the peak shift as a function of the applied voltage is shown to be linear over a voltage range of greater than −40 to 40V for a carbon peak (E ∼270 eV). Potential differences of less than 2V were measured with a spatial resolution of less than 5μm, for a primary beam current of 1μA, and a primary beam energy of 10 keV. Auger electron peaks for carbon and oxygen together with a normal SEM micrograph are presented to demonstrate, for the first time, Auger electron chemical analysis with high spatial resolution.