Positron Profilometry - Probing Material Depths for Enhanced Understanding

This book provides a comprehensive overview of positron profilometry, specifically focusing on the analysis of defect depth distribution in materials. Positron profilometry plays a crucial role in understanding and characterizing defects in a wide range of materials, including metals, semiconductors, polymers, and ceramics. By analyzing the depth distribution of defects, researchers can gain insights into various material properties, such as crystal structure, defect density, and diffusion behavior. The author's extensive research spanning a period of two decades has primarily centered on subsurface zones. These regions, located beneath the surface and subjected to various surface processes, play a crucial role in generating defect distributions. Three experimental techniques and their data analysis are described in detail: a variable-energy positron beam (VEP) called sometimes a slow positron beam, a technique called implantation profile depth scanning (DSIP), and a sequential etching (SET) technique. The usability of these techniques is illustrated by many examples of measurements by the author and others.

Jerzy Dryzek is a physicist and a researcher specializing in the field of positron annihilation. With over three decades of experience, he has made significant contributions to the study of electrical properties and conductivity of thin metallic films, as well as the measurement of positron lifetimes in various materials. Prof. Dryzek obtained his Ph.D. in solid-state physics from the Academy of Mining and Metallurgy, where he conducted research on electrical properties of thin metallic films. His doctoral thesis focused on the electrical conductivity of films made of gold, silver, and copper. Prior to his Ph.D., he completed his master's degree in nuclear physics at Jagiellonian University in Kraków, investigating the positron lifetimes in silver films. Throughout his career, Prof. Dryzek has held several notable positions. Since 1987, he has been associated with the Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN in Kraków, where he has dedicated his efforts to the development of the positron annihilation laboratory. Additionally, he served as a lecturer of physics at the Pedagogical University in Kraków from 1990 to 1992 and for several years from 2005 to 2014 at the University of Zielona Góra and the University of Opole in Poland. Prof. Dryzek also engaged in research work abroad, including visits to the Laboratory of Physics at Helsinki University of Technology in Finland, Münster University in Germany, and Texas Christian University in the USA. Prof. Dryzek's expertise in positron spectroscopy and annihilation characteristics in condensed matter led to his habilitation thesis titled 'Positron annihilation characteristics in condensed matter,' which earned him the title of Assistant Professor in the Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN. He further expanded his research by working on the construction of a pulsing positron beam at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and studying polymer materials using a pulsing positron beam at KEK in Tsukuba, Japan