Characterization of both the composition and thickness of a variety of carbon and carbon-metal multilayer foils has been accomplished using simultaneous ion backscattering (RBS or BS) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The quantitative, non-destructive measurements were made on foils with total carbon thicknesses of 96 to 460 nm and total metallic thicknesses of 14 to 260 nm. Foils with the following primary metals have been examined: titanium, chromium, nickel, copper, thorium, and uranium. The PIXE results for X-ray energies above 200 eV permitted unambiguous interpretation of the backscattering results. For the free-standing foils, the quantities and depth distributions of carbon, the primary metal, and impurities, including oxygen, were determined with a depth resolution of tens of nanometers. The foils were analyzed with either protons or helium ions. Two foils were analyzed using both protons and helium ions; the quantitative evaluations of the carbon and primary metal were, within seven percent for the carbon and three percent for the metal, independent of the probing ion.
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