Auger Electron Spectroscopy and Its Application to Nanotechnology

Over the past decade, the field of nanotechnology has expanded, and the most heavily used nanoscale characterization/imaging techniques have been scanning probe microscopy (SPM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Although these high-resolution imaging techniques help visualize nanostructures, it is essential to understand the chemical nature of these materials and their growth mechanisms. Surface modifications in the first few nanometers can alter the bulk properties of these nanostructures, and conventional characterization techniques, including energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) associated with SEM and TEM are not suited to detecting these surface modifications except in special, favorable specimens. A modern state-of-the-art scanning Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) instrument provides valuable elemental and chemical characterization of nanostructures with a lateral spatial resolution better than 10 nm and a depth resolution of a few nm. In this article we review the technique of scanning AES and highlight its unique analytical capabilities in the areas of nanotechnology, metallurgy, and semiconductors.