altered layer

https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.09217
Surface region of a material under particle bombardment where the chemical state or physical structure is modified by the effects of the bombardment.
Notes:
  1. For silicon bombarded by 4 keV OA2A+ at near-normal incidence, after sputtering for a sufficient time to reach a steady state, the surface is converted to stoichiometric SiOA2 to a depth of around 15 nm, with lower oxygen concentrations at greater depths. At 2 keV, this is reduced to 7 nm, these thicknesses being approximately twice the projected range.
  2. The observed interface width (depth resolution) in secondary-ion mass spectrometry can be greater or smaller than the altered-layer thickness, depending on the analyte and bombarding-ion species.
Source:
PAC, 2020, 92, 1781. (Glossary of methods and terms used in surface chemical analysis (IUPAC Recommendations 2020)) on page 1796 [Terms] [Paper]
Citation: 'altered layer' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.09217 RIS BibTex EndNote
Div. VTextXMLJSON