I know and have read in the literature that PVD thin film coatings have less density than its respective bulk material. In some articles the authors use Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy, but I do not have access to this technique.
I was wondering if I could use XRF for this purpose. Usually it is used to find out thickness, and the density is a given value in the formula or software.
Any idea if I could instead obtain the density?
Dear Marck Anthony Alava Galarza
XRF can't directly measure density but can help estimate it. By obtaining the elemental composition and thickness from XRF, you can calculate a theoretical density using known atomic masses. To improve accuracy, consider correcting for porosity (which XRF doesn't measure) based on the film's structure, possibly using complementary techniques like SEM. While not as precise as Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), this approach provides a reasonable density estimate.
Thanks.
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