METHOD OF DURABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR THIN PROTECTIVE COATINGS ON MATERIALS UNDER HIGH ENERGY EFFECTS Russian patent published in 2014 - IPC G01B11/06 

FIELD: measuring instrumentation.

SUBSTANCE: high energy effect is achieved by focused ion beam, and scanning probe microscope with measurement result processing means is used as an instrument for determination of physical destruction parameters in small areas of samples. Destruction of thin protective submicron coatings in the form of grooves made by the focused ion beam is determined by groove depth and/or microrelief along centrelines compared with similar groove parameters of a reference sample. Further, time rate of protective coating destruction is determined for sample and reference sample. Durability of the protective coating in comparison to a reference sample material is deduced by comparing these rates.

EFFECT: developed method of comparative quantitative parametrical assessment of durability of thin submicron protective coatings under corpuscular high energy flows, mainly in vacuum, simulating open space conditions.

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