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Proton Induced X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis Using a Cockcroft-Walton Accelerator

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2019

D. I. Bales ,
R. R. Landolt  and
W. E. Toll
D. I. Bales
Affiliation:
Bionucleonics Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
R. R. Landolt
Affiliation:
Bionucleonics Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
W. E. Toll
Affiliation:
Bionucleonics Department, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
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Abstract

The production of characteristic x rays by 100-keV protons has been studied to determine the feasibility of using a Cockcroft- Walton accelerator as an excitation source for x ray fluorescence analysis. Because of the low cross sections at this proton energy, it was necessary to concentrate on characteristic x rays below 6 keV and to use beam currents of 10 to 100 μA. The x rays were measured by a high resolution Si(Li) detector.

The preparation of various types of samples and the problems that arise when working at low proton energies and high beam currents are discussed.

It was found that the technique is useful for low atomic number elements down to less than 1 ppm in a water sample when there are no other significant impurities. When other elements are present, however, proton absorption becomes an important factor and quantitative determinations become very difficult. Proton absorption and its effect upon the usefulness of the technique are discussed.

The precision for the technique was determined and found to be better than 20% for most measurements. This includes errors in sample preparation which was considered to be a significant portion of the uncertainty.

Type
Research Article
Information
Advances in X-Ray Analysis , Volume 18: Twenty-Third Annual Conference on Applications of X-ray Analysis, August 7-9, 1974 , 1974 , pp. 299 - 308
Copyright
Copyright © International Centre for Diffraction Data 1974

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References

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