ULTRA FAST ELEMENTAL BULK AND DEPTH PROFILE ANALYSER FOR MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERISATION

For many metallic applications, changes in performance are expected through applications of advanced coatings, e.g. hard coatings (diamond and nitride thin films), atmospheric corrosion protective layers (coated steels, environment-friendly anodising procedures on Aluminium, paints on cars, etc) and high temperature protective layers. Emerging areas of interest also require surface and depth profiling chemical analysis to provide the fundamental and strategic information for material?s development. In these domains, including organic thin films (diodes, polymer light emitting devices), MEMS thin films, smart thin films (PZT etc), optoelectronic thin films, optical memories (glasses doped with rare earths), solar cells manufacturing, self assembled nano-films, the speed and ease of use of control tools are of crucial importance. Radio Frequency Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectrometry (RF-GD-OES) is an Ultra Fast Elemental Depth Profile Analysis Technique that can provide both the surface, the layers and the bulk composition quickly, cheaply, and with high sensitivity to all elements (including the gaseous elements), for almost all solid materials, including metals, metal alloy coatings, semiconductors, polymer coatings, glass, etc. Examples of use of RF-GD-OES for bulk and depth profile analysis of diverse materials are presented in this article and the most recent updates of the technique are described emphasising its value for materials development and characterisation.