Quantitative analysis of BN (C,O,Ar,H)-coatings using EPMA and SIMS

Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) are applied to the chemical characterization of boron nitride coatings with additional concentrations (1-20 at per cent) of H, C, O and Ar. Quantitative analysis of homogeneous films with a film thickness >0.3 mu m is carried out by conventional "bulk" EPMA with an accuracy of about 5 per cent relative. A similar degree of accuracy is obtained for the simultaneous determination of film thickness (0.1-0.5 mu m) and composition ("thin film" EPMA). SIMS based on monitoring MCs+ molecular secondary ions is demonstrated as a useful scheme for quantitative in-depth analysis of matrix elements. In the case of BN (H, C, O, Ar) materials a single standard (eg. defined by EPMA) is sufficient to establish a set of matrix-independent relative sensitivity factors.