Study of the Chemical Composition of a Multilayer C/Co/Cr System by Low-Energy Ion-Beam Action

The issues of the chemical homogeneity of films obtained by magnetron sputtering are considered, and the rate of profiling of nanoscale layers of some 3 d metals is estimated. The objects of study are C/Cr, C/Co, and C/Co/Cr films synthesized by magnetron sputtering on polycrystalline silicon. Deposition is carried out on a VUP-5 installation. The chemical composition of the C/Cr and C/Co films is studied by Auger-electron spectroscopy using argon-ion etching with an energy of 1 keV. Analysis of the elemental composition over depth is carried out, and the dependences of the change in the concentration of chemical elements on the etching time are plotted. The profiling depth of the studied samples is determined by atomic-force microscopy. The average etching rates are obtained for a thin cobalt film and a multilayer C/Co/Cr system.