Use of the 16O(d, α 0) 14N nuclear reaction in the analysis of oxide films

Abstract

The use of the 16O(d, α 0) 14N nuclear reaction to obtain oxygen concentration profiles in surface oxide layers, up to 4000 Å thick, has been studied using incident deuterons of 900 keV and 1.08 MeV and comparisons made of the oxygen sensitivities and depth resolutions. Samples investigated include a Ta 2O 5 on tantalum standard, thermally grown silicon oxide films on silicon and two types of chromium conversion coatings on zinc electroplated panels. A nuclear reaction simulation code has been employed to reveal surface compositions from the energy spectra of the emitted alpha particles.