RBS and NRA analyses of lithium inserted amorphous Li1+xNiVO4 films

rf-Magnetron sputtered LiNiVO4 thin film was used as a negative electrode for lithium microbatteries applications. Their film composition and thickness were analyzed by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) technique by using 4He+, 7Li(p α) 4He reaction respectively. The structure, surface roughness and homogeneity of these films have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and auger electron spectroscopy (AES) techniques. The amount of lithium inserted into the LiNiVO4 films was analyzed by RBS and NRA studies. The results are comparable to those obtained from the electro-analytical technique (galvanostatic method), indicating that ion beam techniques are complementary tools for the analysis of lithium metal oxide thin films.