High-temperature Auger electron spectroscopy of Zircaloy-4

The near-surface region of Zircaloy-4 (Zry-4) has been probed using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). In particular, the behavior of impurity (sulfur) and alloying (tin) elements has been monitored as a function of annealing temperature and time. High-temperature AES experiments above 900 K are reported, with a primary focus on changes in the S(LMM) Auger feature that overlaps with the primary Zr(MNV) transition. We find that the sulfur content of the near-surface region increases linearly with annealing time at higher temperatures. Tin is the only alloying element whose Auger signal intensity significantly exceeds the noise level at these temperatures.