A Low-Energy SIMS Investigation on Thermal Diffusion on Vapor-Deposited Nickel on Copper Substrate

Diffusion coefficients of metallic atoms at an interface have been determined by chemical methods radio isotope methods and recently by XPS methods. These measuring methods are not enough to analyze diffusion behavior of metallic atoms in angstrom range for their depth resolution. In comparison with these methods, SIMS with low primary ion energy and ion current density provides high depth resolution of 5 — 20 Å for metallic copper, nickel and their alloys [1] and therefore it is the most powerful method for getting information of angstrom range at solid surface region.