Ion-induced characteristics X-ray emission in solids

The physics of X-ray generation in ion-atom collisions is reviewed discussing the X-ray excitation by the lightest ions (H, He) in the energy range of 100 keV to 10 MeV. The effect of the features of the inner-shell electron wave functions on the X-ray generation cross sections and on the values of individual subshell ionization ratios is studied in more detail when examining the cross sections of atomic subshell ionization in collisions with light nuclei. The studies of alignment effects in the process of inner-shell ionization are reviewed in brief. The features of the X-ray generation in crystals under channeling (important for application) are examined in detail including investigations on the orientational dependences of the X-ray line intensity ratios and the polarization of the characteristic X-ray emission generated by channeled ions in monocrystals. Some selected problems relevant to PIXE applications in the elemental analysis and to determining locations of impurity atoms in single crystals are reviewed