Variable-energy positron annihilation as highly sensitive nanoporosimetry for porous thin films

Abstract

Positron annihilation was applied to measuring critical pore sizes in various materials. In recent years, positron annihilation with a variable-energy positron beam has emerged as a powerful tool for the investigation of porous thin films synthesized as low-k dielectrics, high performance gas sensor materials, and so on. This paper is a brief overview of recent progress in nanopore characterization of thin films by means of positron annihilation with a description of several important issues relevant to positron annihilation.