APPLICATION OF ION-SCATTERING TO ALLOY SURFACE-ANALYSIS

The physical and chemical interaction of an alloy with its environment is dictated not by its bulk composition but by the surface concentrat ion of different elements and their physical arrangement. Of the tools developed to measure these properties, ion scattering (with energies of 0.1-100 keV) has the capacity to measure composition with atomic la yer sensitivity and short range order in real space. These advantages have been used to investigate the surface structure, composition and o xidation of bulk alloys and surface alloys. The composition and struct ure have also been used as probes of order-disorder transitions. In th is presentation a review will be undertaken of the information so far delivered by ion scattering, and some of the potential directions will be outlined. Examples of work recently published or currently under i nvestigation will be used to demonstrate the special applications of L EIS to alloy surface studies.