Rutherford Backscattering Analysis

Rutherford Backscattering (RBS) analysis is a common ion beam analysis. RBS uses a high-energy (MeV) ion beam to bombard the sample surface. Elastic and inelastic collisions provide chemical information, i.e. the atomic number (Z) of the sample material and thickness based on the scattering depth. RBS and all the ion beam analyses measure thin-films deposited on substrates like silicon or bulk crystalline materials. These measurements are non-destructive, and standard-less.

Some specific applications of RBS are: evaluation of the thickness and composition (stoichiometry) of thin films or coatings such as oxide, nitrides or thin-film metals on substrates; intermixing at the interface between dissimilar materials; location of lattice impurities, both substitution and interstitial, within single crystal materials; and determination of damage distribution within a single crystal, for example the distribution of implantation damage including the thickness of an ion-induced amorphous layer.