INTERFACE CHARACTERIZATION BY DUAL NEUTRON-ACTIVATION

A new method of characterizing sharp interfaces is presented. The meth od utilizes the structural modification of the interface caused by the rmal-neutron-induced recoil. Dual neutron activations, coupled with ch emical etching, are used to correlate the initial and the modified mat erial distributions across the interface. The nuclear and the radioche mical aspects of the method are tested for samples of polycrystalline gold sputtered on amorphous silicon dioxide. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.