Positron annihilation induced Auger and gamma spectroscopies of surfaces

The annihilation of positrons with core electrons results in an element specific signature in the spectra of Auger-electron and annihilation gamma rays. Because a large fraction of positrons implanted at low energies become trapped just outside the surface, annihilation induced Auger and Gamma signals probe the surfaces of solids with single atomic layer depth resolution. Recent applications of positron annihilation-induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES) and Auger-gamma coincidence spectroscopy (AGCS) and future applications of Auger-gamma and gamma-gamma coincidence spectroscopy are discussed.