Background spectrum of synchrotron radiation-excited total reflection x-ray fluorescence for Si wafer analysis

Abstract

In the synchrotron radiation-excited total reflection x-ray fluorescence (SR-TXRF) determination of surface contaminants on Si wafers, the minimum detection limit is intrinsically determined by the background spectrum. The absolute counts of background spectra for the whole energy range concerned was calculated under the usual SR-TXRF experimental conditions and was compared with measurements. The detection limits for contaminants near the surface of Si wafers within a few atomic layers were evaluated from the calculated background spectrum and the fluorescence signal under given experimental conditions. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.