Polycrystalline film target texture and nuclear backscattering analysis

The influence of target texture on the backscattering yield of 2 MeV 4He particles has been investigated for evaporated thin-film targets of Nb, Ag, Au, and Bi. The results have been correlated with those from X-ray diffraction. The implications of the texture found for nuclear-backscattering analysis are discussed, and it is suggested that backscattering may constitute a fast, quantitative method for investigations of texture in thin foils. (Auth.)