This book provides a comprehensive overview of positron profilometry, specifically focusing on the analysis of defect depth distribution in materials. Positron profilometry plays a crucial role in understanding and characterizing defects in a wide range of materials, including metals, semiconductors, polymers, and ceramics. By analyzing the depth distribution of defects, researchers can gain insights into various material properties, such as crystal structure, defect density, and diffusion behavior. The author's extensive research spanning a period of two decades has primarily centered on subsurface zones. These regions, located beneath the surface and subjected to various surface processes, play a crucial role in generating defect distributions. Three experimental techniques and their data analysis are described in detail: a variable-energy positron beam (VEP) called sometimes a slow positron beam, a technique called implantation profile depth scanning (DSIP), and a sequential etching (SET) technique. The usability of these techniques is illustrated by many examples of measurements by the author and others.

There is no doubt that, when it comes to the study of the structures and defects of materials, there is presently no technique that rivals positron annihilation. The increasing demands for higher accuracy and reliability provide a constant stimulus to the field, and the present work presents the newest and most important scientific discoveries made in the field of positron annihilation. Many important new results concerning positron and positronium studies of nano-materials, defects, porous materials, low-k dielectrics, polymers, liquids, atomic physics and new instrumentation are reported in the present contributions; presented by experts from all over the world. There can be no better way of keeping up with this rapidly advancing field.

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.

Vols. for 1964- have guides and journal lists.