Comparison of Compositional Thin Film Depth Profiling Obtained by SIMS, IIR and AES

Ion etching used in connection with surface-sensitive analytical techniques is a common method of determining the chemical composition of thin films and substrates. The method of surface analysis employed depends on the aims of the investigations and the information required. In this paper the advantages and limitations of AES, SIMS and IIR for the analysis of dielectric materials will be discussed. Each of the three analytical methods has been employed for parallel compositional investigations in a broad-band antireflection coating as well as in a dichroic beamsplitter.