In early 1960s, scientists found the breakthroughs in the solid surfaces as well as artificial layered structures. The progress of the surface science has been supported by the advent of ultra-high vacuum technologies, newly discovered and established scanning probe microscopy with atomic resolution, as well as some other advanced surface-sensitive spectroscopy and microscopy. On the other hand, it has been well recognized that a number of functions are related to the structures of the interfaces, which are the thin plane connecting different materials, most likely by layering thin films. In spite of the scientific significance, so far, research on such buried layers and interfaces have been limited, just because the probing depth of almost all existing sophisticated analytical methods is only near surface. The present article describes the recent progress in the nanometer scale analysis of buried layers and interfaces, particularly by using X-rays and neutrons. The methods are essentially promising to probe non-destructively such buried structures in thin films. Latest scientific research has been surveyed; this includes applications to bio-chemical, organic, electronic, magnetic, spintronic, self-organizing and complicated systems as well as buried liquid-liquid and solid-liquid interfaces. Some emerging analytical techniques and instruments, which can give new attractive features such as imaging and real time analysis, are also discussed.
The distribution of the publications on x-ray fluorescence analysis among different journals is discussed on the basis of frequency of citation in major review articles. Differentiation among major sub-fields such as particle induced x-ray emission, total-reflection x-ray fluorescence and synchrotron radiation induced x-ray fluorescence is studied. A comparison with the resdts from a computer search in the Science Citafion Index and INSPEC databases is presented. Important sources of new information in x-ray fluorescence analysis are identified and discussed.
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