On the influence of uncertainties in scattering potentials on quantitative analysis using keV ions

TL;DR

This study examines how uncertainties in scattering potentials affect quantitative analysis in medium energy ion scattering, using Monte Carlo simulations to assess impacts on sample property measurements.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of the influence of interatomic potential uncertainties on quantification accuracy in ion scattering experiments.

Findings

Uncertainty in scattering potential causes less than 3% error in backscattering analysis.

Light transmitted ions are minimally affected by potential uncertainties.

Heavier ions show increased sensitivity to potential variations.

Abstract

Experimental spectra from medium energy ion scattering were compared to Monte-Carlo simulations (employing the TRBS code) to obtain information on the scattering potential. The impact of uncertainties in the interatomic potential on quantification of sample properties such as thickness, composition or electronic stopping was investigated for different scattering geometries: backscattering and transmission. For backscattered He ions with tens of keV primary energy the scattering potential was found to overestimate the multiple scattering background in the energy spectra resulting in an uncertainty of < 3 % in quantitative analysis. Light ions transmitted through a sample for equivalent path length in the medium are only affected minorly by changes in the scattering potential. This effect becomes more distinct for heavier primary ions.