Depth profile analysis with glow discharge spectrometry

Abstract

Nowadays, glow discharge-optical emission spectrometry (GD-OES) and glow discharge-mass spectrometry (GD-MS) can be considered as two well established techniques for depth profiling, offering practical interest to assist the synthesis optimization process and the quality control of materials coated with thin or thick layers. In this article, actual commercial instrumentation and depth profile quantification methods with these two analytical tools are first briefly reviewed. Afterwards particular attention is paid to the description of recent applications which show the almost unique capabilities of GD-OES and GD-MS for fast elemental quantitative depth profiling of films going from an atomic layer up to more than a hundred micrometres. Moreover, some illustrative applications are shown for the characterization of organic films resorting to GD-OES and GD-MS.