Quantitative hydrogen analysis through time of flight-elastic recoil detection analysis using medium energy ions

Quantitative hydrogen analysis is a useful tool in various fields, such as the energy, catalysts, and semiconductor fields, because the quality of materials or devices strongly depends on their hydrogen concentrations. To analyze the concentration of hydrogen quantitatively, the elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) method is widely used. In this report, the number fraction of hydrogen in silicon nitride was analyzed using a simple time-of-flight ERDA method over a depth range of 25 nm from the surface without the use of a stopping foil, an additional analyzer, or charged particle optics. The number fractions of the other elements (silicon and nitrogen) in the sample were also analyzed through backscattering measurements.