Two different organic materials, Irganox1010 and Irganox3114, were vacuum deposited as alternating layers. The layers of Irganox3114 were thin (similar to 2.5 nm) in comparison to the Irganox1010 (similar to 55 or similar to 90 nm); we call these 'organic delta layers'. Both materials are shown to have identical sputtering yields and the alternating layers may be used to determine some of the important metrological parameters for cluster ion beam depth profiling of organic materials. The sputtering yield for C-60 ions is shown to diminish with ion dose. Comparison with atomic force microscopy data from films of pure Irganox1010, demonstrates that the depth resolution is limited by the development of topography. Secondary ion intensities are a well-behaved function of sputtering yield and may be employed to obtain useful analytical information. Organic delta layers are shown to be valuable reference materials for comparing the capabilities of different cluster ion sources and experimental arrangements for the depth profiling of organic materials. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.