Application Of The R.I.S. Technique to the Study Of Impurities in Solids

Abstract

Resonance ionization spectroscopy is based on directly detecting the ion-electron pair generated in single- or several-photon laser absorption processes. By using lasers tuned on atomic transitions and proportional counters as single-electron detectors, the possibility has been demonstrated of detecting a single atom, present in the laser interaction volume, both in the case of experiments in the vacuum and in the case when a buffer gas is present. This technique enables minute traces of alkaline, alkaline-earth, certain rare-earth, and some inert gas atoms to be detected. It may be used for high precision microanalysis, which finds significant applications in the study of surface phenomena.