Dynamic secondary ion mass spectroscopy of Au nanoparticles on Si wafer using Bi3+ as primary ion coupled with surface etching by Ar cluster ion beam: The effect of etching conditions on surface structure

Wet-chemically synthesized Au nanoparticles were deposited on Si wafer surfaces, and the secondary ions mass spectra (SIMS) from these samples were collected using Bi-3(+) with an energy of 30 keV as the primary ions. In the SIMS, Au cluster cations with a well-known, even-odd alteration pattern in the signal intensity were observed. We also performed depth profile SIMS analyses, i.e., etching the surface using an Ar gas cluster ion beam (GCIB), and a subsequent Bi-3(+) SIMS analysis was repetitively performed. Here, two different etching conditions (Ar-1600 clusters of 10 keV energy or Ar-1000 of 2.5 keV denoted as "harsh" or "soft" etching conditions, respectively) were used. Etching under harsh conditions induced emission of the Au-Si binary cluster cations in the SIMS spectra of the Bi-3(+) primary ions. The formation of binary cluster cations can be induced by either fragmentation of Au nanoparticles or alloying of Au and Si, increasing Au-Si coordination on the sample surface during harsh GCIB etching. Alternatively, use of the soft GCIB etching conditions resulted in exclusive emission of pure Au cluster cations with nearly no Au-Si cluster cation formation. Depth profile analyses of the Bi-3(+) SIMS combined with soft GCIB etching can be useful for studying the chemical environments of atoms at the surface without altering the original interface structure during etching. Published by AIP Publishing.