Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T03:28:06.486Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Steps toward accurate large-area analyses of Genesis solar wind samples: evaluation of surface cleaning methods using total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2012

Martina Schmeling ,
Donald S. Burnett ,
Amy J. G. Jurewicz  and
Igor V. Veryovkin
Martina Schmeling*
Affiliation:
Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60660
Donald S. Burnett
Affiliation:
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125
Amy J. G. Jurewicz
Affiliation:
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287
Igor V. Veryovkin
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439
*
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (TXRF) was used to analyze residual surface contamination on Genesis solar wind samples and to evaluate different cleaning methods. To gauge the suitability of a cleaning method, two samples were analyzed following cleaning by lab-based TXRF. The analysis comprised an overview and a crude manual mapping of the samples by orienting them with respect to the incident X-ray beam in such a way that different regions were covered. The results show that cleaning with concentrated hydrochloric acid and a combination of hydrochloric acid and hydrofluoric acid decreased persistent inorganic contaminants substantially on one sample. The application of CO2 snow for surface cleaning tested on the other sample appears to be effective in removing one persistent Genesis contaminant, namely germanium. Unfortunately, the TXRF analysis results of the second sample were impacted by relatively high background contamination. This was mostly due to the relatively small sample size and that the solar wind collector was already mounted with silver glue for resonance ion mass spectrometry (RIMS) on an aluminium stub. Further studies are planned to eliminate this problem. In an effort to identify the location of very persistent contaminants, selected samples were also subjected to environmental scanning electron microscopy. The results showed excellent agreement with TXRF analysis.

Keywords

total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometrygenesis solar samples
Type
Technical Articles
Information
Powder Diffraction , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , June 2012 , pp. 75 - 78
Copyright
Copyright © International Centre for Diffraction Data 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allton, J. H., Wentworth, S. J., Rodriguez, M. C., and Calaway, M. J. (2007). “Cleaning Genesis solar wind collectors with ultrapure water residual analysis,” Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVII, Paper 2138.Google Scholar
Burnett, D. S., Barraclough, B. L., Bennett, R., Neugebauer, M., Oldham, L. P., Sasaki, C. N., Sevilla, S., Smith, N., Stansberry, E., Sweetnam, D., and Wiens, R. C. (2003). “The Genesis discovery mission: return of solar matter to Earth,” Space Sci. Rev. 105, 509–534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calaway, M. J., Burnett, D. S., Rodriguez, M. C., Sestak, S., Allton, J. H., and Stansberry, E. K. (2007). “Decontamination of Genesis array materials by UV-Ozone cleaning,” Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXVII, Paper 162.Google Scholar
Calaway, M. J., Rodriguez, M. C., Allton, J. H., and Stansberry, E. K. (2009). “Decontaminating solar wind samples with the Genesis ultrapure water megasonic spin cleaner,” Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXX, Paper 1183.Google Scholar
Hellin, D., de Gendt, S., Valckx, N., Mertens, P. W., and Vinckier, C. (2006). “Trends in total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for metallic contamination control in semiconductor nanotechnology,” Spectrochim. Acta B 61, 496–514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, S., Humayun, M., and Burnett, D. (2008). “Surficial contamination on Genesis flight silicon on sapphire (SoS) wafer fragments and its implication to the determination of solar wind tracers,” Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXIX, Paper 1976.Google Scholar
Huang, S., Humayun, M., King, S., Goddard, B., and Burnett, D. (2006). “Step cleaning experiment on the Genesis wafers,” Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXVII, Paper 2440.Google Scholar
Jurewicz, A. J. G. et al. (2003). “The Genesis solar-wind collector materials,” Space Sci. Rev. 105, 535–560.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klockenkämper, R. (1997). Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (Wiley and Sons, New York, NY).Google Scholar
Pahlke, S., Fabry, L., Kotz, L., Mantler, C., and Ehmann, T. (2001). “Determination of ultra trace contaminants on silicon wafer surfaces using TXRF “state-of-the art,” Spectrochim. Acta B 56, 2261–2274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reisenberg, D., Wiens, R. C., Barraclough, B. L., Steinberg, J. E., DeKoning, C., Zurbuchen, T., and Burnett, D. S. (2005). “The Genesis Mission solar wind samples: collection times, estimated fluences and solar-wind conditions,” Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXVI, Paper 1278.Google Scholar
Schmeling, M. (2005). “Total reflection X-ray fluorescence,” Elsevier Encyclopedia Anal. Sci. 9, 440–448.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmeling, M., Burnett, D. S., and Jurewicz, A. J. G. (2011). “Surface characterization of genesis samples by total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry: contaminants and roughness variations,” Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXXII, Paper 2041.Google Scholar
Sekowski, M., Steen, C., Nutsch, A., Birnbaum, E., Burenkov, A., and Pichler, P. (2008). “Total reflection X-ray fluorescence as a sensitive analysis method for the investigation of sputtering processes,” Spectrochim. Acta B 63, 1382–1386.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sestak, S., Franchi, I. A., Verchosky, A. B., Al-Kuzee, J., Braithwaite, N. St. J., and Burnett, D. S. (2006). “Application of semiconductor industry cleaning technologies for Genesis sample collectors,” Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXVII, Paper #1878.Google Scholar
Shaffner, T. J. (2000). “Semiconductor characterization and analytical technology”, Proc. IEEE 88, 1416–1437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Streli, C., Kregsamer, P., Wobrauschek, P., Gatterbauer, H., Görgl, R., Pianetta, P., Pahlke, S., Fabry, L., Palmetshofer, L., and Schmeling, M. (1999). “Low Z Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence analysis- challenges and answers,” Spectrochim. Acta B 54, 1433–1441.Google Scholar
West, M., Ellis, E. T., Potts, P. J., Streli, C., Vanhoof, C., Wegrzynek, D., and Wobrauschek, P. (2010). “Atomic spectrometry update. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry,” J. Anal. At. Spectrom. 25, 1503–1545.Google Scholar
Wobrauschek, P. (1998). “Total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometric determination of trace elements in the femtogram region: a survey – invited lecture,” J. Anal. Atm. Spectrometry 13, 333–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wobrauschek, P. (2007). “Total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis – a review,” X-ray Spectrom. 36, 289–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar