Measurement of the sputtering yield by auger electron spectroscopy

Since metal impurities in the tokamak plasma are important in future thermonuclear fusion research, measurement of the sputtering yield of molybdenum on silver substrate using Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) was made. The AES method which uses a neon beam for the calibration of the AES signals into the absolute number of sputtered atoms is described. The advantages of the silver substrate are discussed, noting that a simple Auger spectrum of Ag can eliminate overlapping with sample material and thus bring about a better signal/noise ratio. The sputtering yield of molybdenum as a function of proton energy is plotted and compared with the results of previous work. The differences are attributed to the correction of calibration factor and improvement from the use of the silver substrate. It is concluded that AES is a useful tool for the measurement of the sputtering yield of metals with high sensitivity and high special resolution.