Chemical and structural characterization of thin films using electrons and photons

This tutorial survey describes the application of selected photon- and electron-excited characterisation techniques for the analysis of thin films. The fundamentals of some techniques are discussed but the focus of this article is the link between the different techniques rather than a comprehensive discussion of them. Laboratory-based and synchrotron radiation techniques are compared for the characterization of long- and short-range structural order, as well as for chemical and electronic structural analysis. The practical application of the analytical procedures discussed is summarized in two case studies. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.