Determining the nitrogen content in (oxy)nitride materials

Abstract

Nitrogen (and also oxygen) determination has become an important parameter to characterize (oxy)nitride materials for many properties and applications. Analyzing such anions with accuracy is still a challenge for some materials. However, to date, a large panel of methodologies is available to answer this issue with relevant results, even for thin films. Carrier gas hot extraction techniques and electron probe microanalysis with wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (EPMA-WDS) look attractive to analyze bulk materials and thin films, respectively. This paper gathers several techniques using chemical and physical routes to access such anionic contents. Limitations and problems are pointed out for both powders and films.