The use of grazing incidence parallel beam x-ray diffraction (GIXRD) in the characterization of lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films is described. This tool has enabled us to depth profile the films. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results obtained from a cross section of one film are shown to compliment the GIXRD results. The variation in crystallographic structure versus depth in the film was the primary focus of this study.

The insults from three PZT films having Zr/Ti ratios of 25/75, 48/52, and 75/25 are given. TEM results are reported from the sample with a Zr/Ti ratio of 48/52.

The two general uses of proportional counters in X-ray analysis are discussed in the light of advantages and limitations inherent in the type of counter construction. Some effects on spectrographic results and industrial gaging are cited.

The efficiency of the recessed source geometry for the analysis of the content of wear metals in engine lubricant oils by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) methods is calculated by a Monte Carlo simulation considering X-ray detectors of the Gas Proportional Scintillation Counter type and excitation by Cd-109, Cm-244 and Fe-55 radioactive sources. Calculated spectra for the case of a typical aircraft oil with Cu, Fe, Cr, Ti, Sn and Ag impurities in the p.p.m. range were obtained and results are presented that allow the prediction of the counting rate per mCi and p.p.m. of the impurity content. The performance of the system is discussed concerning its potential applications to in-line monitoring of the wear metals.

During the course of the past ten years the International Centre for Diffraction Data has sponsored a number of “Round Robin” tests to evaluate the quality of experimental X-ray diffraction data [1-5]. The latest of this series, called the Instrument Parameter Round Robin, was designed to evaluate, among other things, relative angularly-dependent sensitivity differences between diffractometers. Previous experiments have indicated that even perfectly aligned diffractometers of the same generic type, do not necessarily give the same set of relative intensities. One objective of the round robin was to quantify the magnitude of the experimental differences between data sets, and to demonstrate a means for external calibration of diffractometers, so that digitized diffraction intensity data obtained from different instruments could be directly compared.

The techniques of X-ray topography are reviewed, with special reference to their application to the study of surface layers and thin films. The methods of section topography, white radiation topography and double and triple crystal topography are shown to be the most appropriate, with grazing or glancing incidence methods assuming special importance. Applications to the questions of epilayer mismatch and dislocation content, process-induced defects and surface damage are discussed.

In the microprobe, lead stearate decanoate multilayer analyzers have proven to be practical components for X-ray spectrochemical analysis of the light elements. Better controlled techniques in the deposition of the layers have already produced analyzers yielding improved peak to background ratios as well as higher counting rates. Operational techniques, optimizing instrumental performance, will be discussed. Analytical data on the elements fluorine through boron, obtained with a modified commercial microprobe, will be presented.

Total reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) has been applied to the detection and quantification of metal contamination on the surface and near-surface regions of silicon wafers in the semiconductor industry The need for improving the sensitivity and detection limit of the TXRF technique is driven by the progress in producing thinner films and finer features in the development of larger Mbit DRAMS.

The radiation from plasmas produced by the interaction of a pulsed laser and a solid target can be made to fall in the soft x-ray regime. The x-rays can serve as an alternative to the increasingly important synchrotron radiation facilities for a variety of techniques such as Extended X-ray Absorption Fine-Structure Spectroscopy and X-ray Lithography. In addition, the x-rays are of special interest for general microradiography of thin samples.

52 elements of the periodic system are considered as potentially usable by living organisms. Most of them, as some heavy metals, are required only in trace amounts. If a certain concentration of a given trace element is exceeded in an organism it becomes toxic. Plant analyses are considered in agronomy as a diagnostic tool and as a guide to fertilizer practice as the plant uptake is the best criterion of nutrient and micronutrient availability. But nowadays also toxic metals may be assimilated by plants due to the increasing contamination by inorganic compounds containing these toxic elements. In geosciences plant analyses may be of importance because indicator plants are employed for the geochemical prospection of certain heavy metals.

The use of a field portable XRF analyzer incorporating a semiconductor, mercuric iodide, energy dispersive spectrometer is described with emphasis on the benefits of high resolution x-ray detection for rapid screening of hazardous metallic wastes. Results are presented of “in-situ” and “prepared sample” soil measurement for different sites to show the potential of Fundamental Parameter analysis to obtain acceptable quality data with minimum calibration effort, obviating the need for site-specific standards.

For many years the International Centre for Diffraction Data has sponsored round robins covering various aspects of X-ray powder Diffraction with the objective of illuminating and understanding current practices and problems associated with, the analysis of diffraction data. As computer analysis of diffraction data becomes ever more sophisticated, analytic capabilities are extended and the performance, not only of the instrumentation must be checked, but also that of the software which converts the measured data into useful results. In recent years, therefore, we have personally participated in a cell parameter round-robin, a d-spacing round-robin, a peak hunting round-robin, and, most recently, the present intensity round-robin and a line profile round-robin. Still others are in progress or being planned.

As the Environmental Protection Agency adds ever more sites to the National Priorities List for Superfund clean-up, there is a tremendous need for a fast method of screening for contaminants. In the case of inorganics, we can apply field-portable X-ray fluorescence technology.

With commercially available field-portable X-ray fluorescence equipment using in-situ measurements we can quickly screen a site (hundreds of measurements), input the data to a portable computer, process it, and print a colored concentration isopleth map of the contaminant of interest, all in realtime.

The in-situ measurement approach pioneered by Lockheed is the key to rapid screening capability. Problems arising from particle size distribution, soil heterogeneity, and bulk density are minimized by employing site-specific standards in the construction of our calibration curves. Inherent in these site-specific standards are all the matrix problems which occur in the routine samples.

The strength of field-portable X-ray fluorescence technology is the accuracy of analysis above the quantitation limits. The difficulty in measuring low concentrations near the detection limit is the weak point of field-portable units.

NOTICE: Although this research was funded in part by the U.S. EPA through Contract 68-03-3249 to Lockheed Engineering & Sciences Company, it has not undergone Agency review and does not necessarily reflect Agency policy.

Deformation in polycrystalline materials is highly inhomogeneous on a micro scale. This inhomogeneity arises from the anisotropy of the constituent grains, coupled with local configurational parameters such as texture, gram size or proximity to a free surface. In a recent paper, we had outlined a new method that extended the traditional x-ray stress analysis to yield quantitative measures of such inhomogeneous deformation. In this paper, this method is used to study the partitioning of inhomogeneous deformation between the phases of 60-40 brass tensile specimens subjected to applied loads.

There are many investigations about thin film. However, these are limited to the surface layer thin film on substrates. It Is very important to know the characteristics of the extremely thin film itself such as surface layer thin film.

In the present paper, the first part deals with the thickness measurements of the surface layer film and substrate by means of x-ray method, and then the measurement method of their stress - strain curves and the procedure of the measurement are described. The results obtained are discussed on the basis of their stress — strain curves.

Uniformity of particle size is most critical iti both X-ray spectrographic and diffraction samples. This is especially true when there are both hard and soft materials in the sample. The soft material reduces to a smaller particle size and therefore presents a great density and area to the X-ray beam. Accurate quantitative determinations are most difficult under these clrcum s tances. This paper decribes a means of grinding to a more uniform particle size and presents graphic data on the effects of particle-size variation.

This paper describes the imaging of fossils using elemental x-ray area mapping (EXAM). The technique utilizes a commercially available instrument originally designed for the silicon chip industry. The EXAM data are processed digitally with imaging software to remove surface irregularities and enhance specimen details. Applications of this technique to specimens with irregular surfaces are described.

Stresses in polymeric materials can be measured by diffracting X-rays from embedded crystallites that yield suitable powder diffraction lines. An appropriate technique for this has been, reported by C. S. Barrett and Paul Predecki elsewhere and is reviewed here with additional details. It is based on a diffractometer modified so as to operate at very high 26 angles, with specimens prepared in various ways. Results show that adequate precision is reached by scanning Ka doublet in a few minutes and simply noting any displacement of peaks compared with peaks from an unstressed specimen; higher precision can be reached with slower scans or more detailed analysis of the peaks. Tests with embedded metallic particles were successful when the particles were (A) distributed throughout a moulded polymethyl methacrylate (Lucite) sheet of the order of a millimeter thick, alone or sandwiched between layers of particle-free material, or (B) embedded in polyester resin applied to a surface of Plexiglas bars, or (C) embedded in graphite-fiber epoxy composites in a layer at a chosen position within a specimen.

The fundamental parameter method for x-ray spectrometry has been used most commonly for bulk samples, because it permits an analysis utilizing a minimum number of standards, even for samples with complicated matrices. The need for the analysis of thin film materials, which includes multi-layer films, has been increasing in recent years along with the rapid progress of high technologies. However, there have been few reports that deal with the application of fundamental parameter methods to multi-layer thin films. There may be two situations in the analysis of thin films. In routine analysis of quality control applications, they usually require precise analysis. Fortunately, it is possible to prepare well characterized standards similar to the unknowns.

A system, has been designed and tested for rapid energy dispersive diffractometry and simultaneous fluorescence analysis. A turntable composed of the sample chamber with attached air-cooled x-ray tube allows the 2θ angle to be varied with respect to the stationary Si(Li) detector. Data for most analyses can be obtained in one minute per sample. Results are stored in the memory of a multichannel analyzer and are read out on a CRT, strip chart recorder or tabulated in digital format by a computer.