Abstract
In this work, we present a new method to analyze thick insulating samples by PIXE technique. The method is based on the use of both an electron flood gun to compensate the charge build-up at the insulating surface and a beam profile monitor (BPM) to provide a precise indirect measurement of the beam current and accumulated charge. A filament extracted from an ordinary flashlight lamp was used as an electron flood gun. While, a commercial BPM has been adapted in order to carry out charge measurements. The results have revealed the convenience of using BPM for measuring the charge in PIXE measurements. The use of the electron flood gun has given very satisfactory results in term of preventing charge build-up and reducing its contribution to the bremsstrahlung background in the PIXE spectra. The applicability and efficiency of the overall system for elemental analysis were successfully verified using IAEA-Soil-7 reference material where both accuracy and precision were found to be better than 10% in most cases.
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