Ultra shallow doping profiling with SIMS

An overview is given of the possibilities and limitations of secondary ion mass spectrometry as an analytical tool in the investigation of near-perfect, i.e. almost atomically sharp, dopant and impurity distributions. The operating principles of the technique and the various quantification schemes are briefly presented. The most elaborate discussion pertains to the factors that determine the attainable depth resolution and what can be done to improve things, both from an experimental and from a theoretical point of view. Emphasis is placed on semiconductors and other brittle target materials, but the implications for metals are indicated.