RBS: Introduction

Figure 18.01: Schematic of interaction of He ion beam with materials.

• RBS is an ion scattering technique that is used for the surface layer analysis of solids.

• A target is bombarded by the ions with energies in the range of 0.5 - 4 MeV.

• The energy of the backscattered projectiles is recorded with an energy sensitive detector, typically a solid state detector.

• RBS allows the quantitative determination of the composition of a material and depth profiling of individual elements.

• It does not need any reference samples and a nondestructive technique.

• It has a good depth resolution of the order of several nm.

• RBS is very sensitive for heavy elements of the order of parts-per-million (ppm).