Ion Beam Analysis: A Century of Exploiting the Electronic and Nuclear Structure of the Atom for Materials Characterisation

Abstract

Analysis using MeV ion beams is a thin film characterisation technique invented some 50 years ago which has recently had the benefit of a number of important advances. This review will cover damage profiling in crystals including studies of defects in semiconductors, surface studies, and depth profiling with sputtering. But it will concentrate on thin film depth profiling using Rutherford backscattering, particle induced X-ray emission and related techniques in the deliberately synergistic way that has only recently become possible. In this review of these new developments, we will show how this integrated approach, which we might call “total IBA”, has given the technique great analytical power

Ion Beam, Synchrotron Radiation, and Related Techniques in Biomedicine: Elemental Profiling of Hair

“…The continual development of the components of the beam setup such as the beam optics and scanning systems, as well as the detection and data acquisition devices, has now firmly placed ion beam techniques at the forefront of elemental analysis research in the biomedical and other fields involving hair elemental screening [19]. Besides ion beam techniques, synchrotron radiation techniques are also becoming increasingly popular in biomedical research related to hair elemental analysis.…”

Recent results from the AMS/IBA laboratory at the Comenius University in Bratislava: preparation of targets and optimization of ion sources

“…together with the Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) of environmental and material samples, and Ion Beam Modification (IBM) of materials (e.g. for construction of new generations of nuclear and thermonuclear reactors) represent the most successful applications of small accelerator technologies in various branches of science [39,40]. The IBA technologies may also help better understanding of behavior of long-lived radionuclides in the environment via studying suitable stable elements as their analogues.…”

Evaluation of L-shell X-ray production cross sections by impact of [sup 4]He[sup +] ions

“…A growing interest in the use of heavy ions for analysis with particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) has occurred recently, as they show larger X-ray yields, thus improving PIXE sensitivity [1]. Additionally, when heavy ions are used as projectiles, it is also possible to use other analytical techniques, not only based on the emission of characteristic X-rays, but also using the scattered ions [2,3]. Nevertheless, there are no extensive compilations of experimental data for X-ray production cross sections by heavy ion impact.…”