DETERMINATION OF HYDROGEN DEPTH PROFILES IN POLYMER-FILMS BY THE N-15 NUCLEAR-REACTION TECHNIQUE

It has been shown that the N-15 nuclear reaction technique for hydrogen profiling can be used for the characterization of polymer films. With an optimized sample geometry, a depth resolution of 5 nm near the sample surface is achieved. A special gamma-ray detector allows radiation damage in the sample to be minimized. Since the N-15 technique discriminates between the hydrogen isotopes H and D, a suitable contrast between the different components of a polymer film is achieved by deuterating one component of the polymer. This has been utilized in the study of the surface-induced lamellar ordering within diblock copolymer films.