Characterization of oxide films by MeV ion beam techniques

MeV ion beam techniques can provide highly quantitative compositional analysis of surfaces and thin layers. This quantitativeness is due to the very well known elastic nuclear scattering cross-sections of MeV particles. The most commonly used techniques are Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and elastic recoil detection analysis. Owing to the energy loss of ions in the material, whole compositional depth profiles can be obtained in a single short measurement almost nondestructively. The sensitivity to oxygen can be enhanced by the use of nuclear resonances or forward scattering techniques. State-of-the-art ion beam analysis can determine thin film stoichiometries with an accuracy of 1% and a depth resolution in the low nm range. An overview of the available techniques is given and illustrated with examples.