The main objective of this book is to systematically describe the basic principles of the most widely used techniques for the analysis of physical, structural, and compositional properties of solids with a spatial resolution of approxi mately 1 ~m or less. Many books and reviews on a wide variety of microanalysis techniques have appeared in recent years, and the purpose of this book is not to replace them. Rather, the motivation for combining the descriptions of various mi croanalysis techniques in one comprehensive volume is the need for a reference source to help identify microanalysis techniques, and their capabilities, for obtaining particular information on solid-state materials. In principle, there are several possible ways to group the various micro analysis techniques. They can be distinguished by the means of excitation, or the emitted species, or whether they are surface or bulk-sensitive techniques, or on the basis of the information obtained. We have chosen to group them according to the means of excitation. Thus, the major parts of the book are: Electron Beam Techniques, Ion Beam Techniques, Photon Beam Techniques, Acoustic Wave Excitation, and Tunneling of Electrons and Scanning Probe Microscopies. We hope that this book will be useful to students (final year undergrad uates and graduates) and researchers, such as physicists, material scientists, electrical engineers, and chemists, working in a wide variety of fields in solid state sciences.

Microcharacterization of materials is a rapidly advancing field. Among the many electron and ion probe techniques, the cathodoluminescence mode of an electron probe instrument has reached a certain maturity, which is reflected by an increas ing number of publications in this field. The rapid rate of progress in applications of cathodoluminescence techniques in characterizing inorganic solids has been especially noticeable in recent years. The main purpose of the book is to outline the applications of cath odoluminescence techniques in the assessment of optical and electronic proper ties of inorganic solids, such as semiconductors, phosphors, ceramics, and min erals. The assessment provides, for example, information on impurity levels derived from cathodoluminescence spectroscopy, analysis of dopant concentra tions at a level that, in some cases, is several orders of magnitude lower than that attainable by x-ray microanalysis, the mapping of defects, and the determination of carrier lifetimes and the charge carrier capture cross sections of impurities. In order to make the book self-contained, some basic concepts of solid-state phys ics, as well as various cathodoluminescence techniques and the processes leading to luminescence phenomena in inorganic solids, are also described. We hope that this book will be useful to both scientists and graduate students interested in microcharacterization of inorganic solids. This book, however, was not intended as a definitive account of cathodoluminescence analysis of in organic solids. In considering the results presented here, readers should re member that many materials have properties that vary widely as a function of preparation conditions.

* Expert, up-to-date guidance on the appropriate techniques of local chemical analysis * Comprehensive. This volume is an ideal starting point for material research and development, bringing together a number of techniques usually only found in isolation * Recent examples of the applications of techniques are provided in all cases Helping to solve the problems of materials scientists in academia and industry, this book offers guidance on appropriate techniques of chemical analysis of materials at the local level, down to the atomic scale. Comparisons are made between various techniques in terms of the nature of the probe employed. The detection limit and the optimum spatial resolution is also considered, as well as the range of atomic number that may be identified and the precision and methods of calibration, where appropriate. The Local Chemical Analysis of Materials is amply illustrated allowing the reader to easily see typical results. It includes a comparative table of techniques to aid selection for analysis and a table of acronyms, particularly valuable in this jargon-riddled area.

The analysis of solid materials by introducing solid test sampies directly into the graphite furnace of an atomic absorption spectrometer must be regarded as a powerful analytical approach. Even if it is - of course - not the "ultimate method". After three decades of development, the instrumentation and the methodology are available to apply solid sampling successfully for the analysis of almost every material. Moreover, several tasks cannot be solved using other analytical methods as neatly as they can using direct solid sampling. The conventional methods work more or less satisfactorily, so why do we sug gest applying solid sampling much more extensively than it is today? To begin with, the features pointed out time and again should be named: Rapidity of the analytical procedure, low susceptibility to analyte loss or contamination, very smallquantities can be analyzed, and expenditure on instrumentation and per sonell is also low. These properties are examined and the necessary conditions are discussed (Chapter 1) as are the analytical tasks (Chapter 6) for which use of this method is advantageous. Other features that are often overlooked are just as important: The simplicity of the analytical procedures allows the analyst to main tain an intimate relationship with the original scientific task that has to be solved with the analysis. Furthermore, the considerable reduction of working place haz ards and pollution by avoiding the use of chemical reagents must nowadays be assessed as a feature as important as the others.

This book has evolved by processes of selection and expansion from its predecessor, Practical Scanning Electron Microscopy (PSEM), published by Plenum Press in 1975. The interaction of the authors with students at the Short Course on Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Microanalysis held annually at Lehigh University has helped greatly in developing this textbook. The material has been chosen to provide a student with a general introduction to the techniques of scanning electron microscopy and x-ray microanalysis suitable for application in such fields as biology, geology, solid state physics, and materials science. Following the format of PSEM, this book gives the student a basic knowledge of (1) the user-controlled functions of the electron optics of the scanning electron microscope and electron microprobe, (2) the characteristics of electron-beam-sample inter actions, (3) image formation and interpretation, (4) x-ray spectrometry, and (5) quantitative x-ray microanalysis. Each of these topics has been updated and in most cases expanded over the material presented in PSEM in order to give the reader sufficient coverage to understand these topics and apply the information in the laboratory. Throughout the text, we have attempted to emphasize practical aspects of the techniques, describing those instru ment parameters which the microscopist can and must manipulate to obtain optimum information from the specimen. Certain areas in particular have been expanded in response to their increasing importance in the SEM field. Thus energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry, which has undergone a tremendous surge in growth, is treated in substantial detail.

Written both for the novice and for the experienced scientist, this miniature encyclopedia concisely describes over one hundred materials methodologies, including evaluation, chemical analysis, and physical testing techniques. Each technique is presented in terms of its use, sample requirements, and the engineering principles behind its methodology. Real life industrial and academic applications are also described to give the reader an understanding of the significance and utilization of technique. There is also a discussion of the limitations of each technique.