Electron Rutherford back-scattering case study: Oxidation and ion implantation of aluminium foil

Electron Rutherford back scattering (ERBS) is a new spectroscopy for determining the composition of surfaces. In this work the surface sensitivity of ERBS was investigated by changing the entrance and exit angle of the electron beam while keeping the scattering angle constant. It was found that in this way the surface sensitivity of the technique can be varied considerably. We use aluminium as a test case for ERBS, as it is well studied. The technique has been used to investigate the oxide film of aluminium foil as manufactured and the native oxide (Al₂O₃) film formed on a clean aluminium surface exposed to air. We have also used ERBS to investigate the presence of Xe, implanted during the sputter cleaning process, at a variety of depths within an aluminium matrix.