Structural Analysis & Materials Characterisation
Module Summary
Aims of Module
- To introduce students to modern methods of structural analysis and materials characterisation including diffraction, microscopic and spectroscopic techniques
Syllabus Outline
- X-ray and Neutron Diffraction Techniques: The X-ray spectrum. Scattering of X-rays by
a single atom; atomic scaling factor; diffraction by a point lattice; the Laue equations; the reciprocal lattice;
Ewald's sphere and the limiting sphere; the Bragg equation. Crystal structures; the structure factor; systematic
absences; intensities of diffracted beams. Experimental techniques for diffraction measurements on polycrystalline
and single crystal materials; structure and unit cell determinations. X-ray diffractometer
- Electron Microscopy: Basic scattering properties of electrons; wave nature of electrons,
electron scattering from thin films and bulk materials, electron diffraction, kinematical theory of diffracted
intensities. Basic electron-optical instruments; design and performance of scanning and transmission electron
microscopes. Techniques for study of morphology and surfaces; replication and transmission electron microscopy.
Diffraction contrast and the application of transmission electron microscopy to the study of crystalline defects, precipitation and multiphase materials. X-ray microanalysis
- Scanning Probe Microscopy: The tunnelling phenomenon; the tip/sample environment;
forces involved in atomic and magnetic force microscopy, tip and cantilever characteristics, tip fabrication,
principles and operation of the scanning tunnelling and atomic and magnetic force microscopes; examples of
applications
- Spectroscopic and Surface Analysis Techniques: Scattering process for electrons, photons,
neutrons and ions. Electron spectroscopies; UPS, XPS, AES. X-ray absorption spectroscopy. EXAFS and surface EXAFS.
Synchrotron radiation. Mass spectrometry, SIMS. Rutherford backscattering analysis: applications to thin film and
semiconductors; Rutherford backscattering from crystals, channelling
- Optical Spectroscopy: Regions of the spectrum, representation of spectra, basic elements
of practical spectroscopy, signal-to-noise, resolving power, the width and intensity of spectral transitions,
Fourier transform spectroscopy, enhancement of spectra. Correlation spectroscopy; Brillouin spectroscopy; Raman spectroscopy; Nonlinear spectroscopy
- Magnetic Spectroscopies: Ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy; Electron spin resonance
spectroscopy; Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Mossbauer spectroscopy; Magnetic spectroscopy using
synchrotron radiation
Indicative Texts and Learning Materials
- Main Text: C Kittel, 'An Introduction to Solids State Physics', 6th Ed., Wiley
- Reference Texts: Barrett & Massalski, 'Structure of Metals', 3rd Ed., Pergamon
- Grundy & Jones, 'Electron Microscopy in the Study of Materials', Arnold
- M Prutton, 'Surface Physics', 2nd Ed., Clarendon
- R Wilsendanger, 'Scanning Probe Microscopy and Spectroscopy', Cambridge University Press
- D H Whiffen, 'Spectroscopy', 2nd Ed., Longman, London 1966
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