Below-surface behavior of hydrogen studied by nuclear reaction analysis

The behavior of hydrogen in the near-surface region can be investigated by a nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) technique. The H atom adsorbed on a surface might penetrate the surface and in-diffuse toward the bulk. During metal–semiconductor interface formation, H might be trapped at the interface or out-diffuse toward the surface of the overlayer. The NRA method combined with surface science techniques provides insight into the ‘below-surface’ behavior of H on a nanometer scale.