Electron and Ion Beam Characterization of Glass

Abstract

Scientists and engineers have available to them powerful qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques for the analysis of materials. Specifically, ion and electron beam instrumentation can deliver a wealth of information about a material like glass, provided that the limitations of the measurements for insulators and materials without long-range atomic order are well understood. This chapter brings together expertise from the fields of geology and mineralogy, semiconductors, and glass science to provide an overview of how ion and electron beams interact with glass materials. All these disciplines require accurate analytical techniques, and an incomplete understanding of interactions, interferences, and calibration can lead to inaccurate conclusions. The aim is to encourage the reader to be aware of the scientific principles and constraints of the instrumentation in the analysis of glass materials, and to be vigilant in interpreting the results.