Ion sputtering at grazing incidence for SIMS-analysis

The angular distributions of sputtered atoms at large angle oblique and grazing incidence of the primary ion beam in SIMS-analysis have been simulated. They exhibit distinct arc-like areas of an enhanced sputtering yield in the spherical angular distributions, especially at grazing incidence angles of about 80º from the normal. These arc-like maxima are formed by particles knocked-out from the target as a result of single collisions between primary ions and target atoms. A possibility to use sputtered particles taken only from angles around those arc-like maxima in the angular distribution of sputtered particles for SIMS-analysis and the depth resolution of the SIMS-analysis for different sputtering conditions was investigated by means of Monte-Carlo simulations.