Measurement of Carbon Diffusion Coeficient - Calibration of Sputter Depth

Depth profiling mode of MiniSIMS device was applied to diffusion measurement. Calibration of crater depth was done using shearing interference microscope Zeiss Epival Interphako (ZEI) and confocal mikroskope Olympus LEXT OLS3100 with atomic force microscopy (AFM) modul. The ZEI uses one of the classical interferometric measuring methods. Generally this method leads to results with considerable experimental error. AFM is a very high-resolution type of scanning probe microscopy, with typical resolution of the order of fractions of nanometers, which is more than 1000 times better than the optical diffraction limit. However, the results taken by ZEI were in agreement with much more precise results of surface profiling achieved by AFM. It was found, at given experimental conditions (Fe-rich matrix, Ga + primary ions, 5 kV/3nA, DWT=1), that the sputter rate is some 0.3 nm per a single sputter scan of the crater area (50x50 µm). This depth calibration with SIMS technique can be applied to the study of carbon diffusion in BCC iron as an example. Special technique was developed, which avoids radio-tracer measurements with C-14. Obtained results are lower than the extrapolated values, which may be due to limited solubility of carbon in iron