Current trends in the Computer Simulation of Ion Beam Analysis Methods

Ion beam analysis (IBA) methods are powerful tools for depth profiling of elements and isotopes in the near-surface layer of solids. These methods are quantitative, do not suffer from matrix effects, and introduce only low sample damage. However, the quantitative evaluation of energy spectra obtained by IBA methods usually requires the use of sophisticated computer codes.

Current developments in this field focus on the following areas:

• Simulation of spectra from inhomogeneous materials,
• self-consistent analysis of measurements with multiple detectors and/or multiple methods,
• application of artificial intelligence and machine learning for the interpretation and evaluation of IBA spectra,
• simulation of the dynamic evolution of surface structures,
• simulation of spectra from single-crystalline materials.

The presentation gives an overview of current developments.