Auger electron spectroscopy in sputtering measurements: Application to low-energy Ar+ sputtering of Ag and Nb

The sputtering of Ag and Nb by Ar+ in the energy range from 0.5 to 1.5 keV has been measured. The agreement with extant data, where available, is good. The experimental technique is a new adaptation of certain earlier methods and employs Auger electron spectroscopy of a continuously sputtered area of a thin-film composite structure, produced by vapor deposition. This new method should permit very low sputter yields (S≲10−3) to be measured in subsequent experiments.