Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) using Synchrotron Radiation from the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) has been used to study Al impurities on Si wafer surfaces. For primary excitation energies below the Si K absorption edge an inelastic resonance scattering due to resonant xray Raman scattering is observed. This scattering dominates the background behavior of the Al K fluorescence line, and consequently limits the achievable sensitivity for detection of Al surface contaminants. The energy-and angle-dependence of the resonant x-ray Raman scattering has been investigated to determine the experimental conditions for which the highest sensitivity for Al can be achieved. We find that for a precise determination of the achievable sensitivity, the specific shape of the continuous Raman background has to be taken into account. Our calculations demonstrate a minimum detection limit for Al of 6 x 10 9 atoms/cm 2 for a 10,000 second count time.
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