Role of oxygen in the angular distribution of sputtered constituents from Fe/Cr alloy studied by laser post-ionization SNMS

Laser post-ionization sputtered neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS) has been applied to study the angular distribution of the sputtered constituents of Fe-40at%Cr alloys. Preferred Cr ejection was observed in the direction of the target normal under sputtering in atmosphere with a sufficient amount of oxygen gas, while there is no distinct difference in the angular dependence of the ratio of ejected components without oxygen. Comparing the results obtained by this method with those by the thin film deposition method, it is certified that the same results can be attained by both methods, although in-situ measurement of the angular distribution of the sputtered constituents is possible only by the laser SNMS method. This tendency is considered to be due to the formation of Fe segregated layers on the surface of the alloy by the presence of oxygen.