Alpha-particle Spectra Research Articles

Mechanisms of alpha particle induced soft errors in nanoscale static random access memories

In this paper, the Am-241 is used as an alpha particle radioactive source to investigate the soft error mechanism in 65-nm and 90-nm static random accessmemory (SRAM). Combining reverse analysis, TRIM and CREME-MC Monte Carlo simulation, the energy transport process, deposited energy spectrum and cross-section characteristics of alpha particles in the device are revealed. The results show that the soft error sensitivity of the 65-nm device is much higher than that of the 90-nm device, and no flipping polarity is found. According to the real-time measured soft error rate at an altitude of 4300 m in Tibetan Yangbajing area, the thermal neutron sensitivity and alpha particle soft error rate, the overall soft error rate of 65-nm SRAM used at sea level of Beijing city is 429 FIT/Mb, and the contribution from alpha particles is 70.63%. Based on the results of reverse analysis, a three-dimensional simulation model of the device is constructed to study the influence of the incident angle of alpha particles on the single event upset characteristics. It is found that the corresponding deposition energy value at the peak of the number of particles in the sensitive region decreases by 40% with the incident angle increasing from 0° to 60°. While the single event upset cross sectionincreases by 79% due to the apparent single event upset edge effect in a sensitive region of the 65-nm device.

A peak shape model with high-energy tailing for high-resolution alpha-particle spectra

The measurement of alpha-particle spectra using semiconductor silicon detectors is an important radioactive analysis method for alpha emitters. It is a common situation that the peaks of alpha-particles with nearby energies are overlapping even with high-resolution alpha-particle spectrometry. In this work, an improved peak shape model named EMG-Landau (Exponentially Modified Gaussian with Landau), taking the high-energy tailing into account, was proposed based on the traditional EMG (Exponentially Modified Gaussian) model. Then the EMG-Landau model was effectively tested by using IAEA reference alpha spectra for unfolding performance and EUROMET reference alpha spectra for estimating the activity ratio. Compared with the traditional EMG model, the EMG-Landau model could be more accurate to fit high-resolution alpha spectra with high-energy tailing.

Electro-Precipitation of Actinides on Boron-Doped Diamond Thin Films for Solid Sources Preparation for High-Resolution Alpha-Particle Spectrometry

In this work, we investigate a novel approach to prepare high-performance alpha-particle solid sources fabricated on diamond thin support layers, offering the properties of diamond such as a low-Z material with corrosion and mechanical hardness. As-prepared solid sources onto boron-doped-diamond (BDD) substrate exhibited high performance of the autoradiography and spectroscopic resolution at the level of other more conventional materials such as stainless steel. A straightforward precipitation process in the Na2SO4 or NaNO3 simple electrolytes under mild experimental conditions with a low current of several mA.cm−2 were successfully developed onto BDD substrates for deposition of single 241Am as well as 239Pu, 241Am, and 244Cm mixed radionuclides. The results demonstrate that solid sources deposited onto such BDD substrates can match the performance of those prepared onto stainless steel substrates with excellent uniformity and high-resolution spectroscopy, together combining the robustness, chemical resilience, and X-ray transparence of the diamond. Alpha-particle spectra exhibiting a low full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 12.5 keV at the energy of 5.485 MeV (241Am) could be practically obtained for BDD substrates.

Perovskite CsPbBr3 single crystal detector for alpha-particle spectroscopy

Here we report the first spectroscopic alpha particle detection based on CsPbBr3 detectors with asymmetric contacts. The CsPbBr3 single crystal was grown from the melt using Bridgman method and then fabricated into detectors with different contacts. The In/CsPbBr3/Au detector presented a low dark current density (∼100 nA/cm2) and temporal stable performance under high electric field (1000 V/cm). Such detector demonstrated excellent gamma ray resolving capability with a full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of ∼5.9 keV for the57Co 122 keV γ ray. The CsPbBr3 detector was capable of simultaneously resolving both the alpha particle (5.5 MeV) and γ ray (59.5 keV) peaks from 241Am radioactive isotope. The transport properties of CsPbBr3 were then determined based on the alpha particle spectra and corresponding rise time distributions. The equivalent values of electron and hole mobilities were indicated as 63 and 49 cm2/(V ⋅ s) respectively. The calculated electron and hole mobility-lifetime products were 4.5 × 10−4 and 9.5 × 10−4 cm2/V, respectively, demonstrating superior transport properties of holes over electrons in CsPbBr3. This work widens the scope of perovskite detectors to encompass charged radiation as well as high energy X/γ rays, and will significantly promote and guide further studies on perovskite materials for radiation detection applications.

In Situ Modification and Analysis of the Composition and Crystal Structure of a Silicon Target by Ion-Beam Methods

The method of Rutherford backscattering (RBS) with channeling is widely used in compositional analysis and structural determination. An experimental process line for in situ ion implantation and RBS spectrometry is presented, and its technical parameters are given. The parameters of a probing beam needed to reach a several-percent error in the study of distribution profiles of impurities and defects are detailed. The resolution of this method was estimated using the spectrum of alpha particles produced in the decay of 239Pu and based on the RBS spectrum from a silicon monocrystal. The implantation of Xe+ ions with an energy of 100 keV into a silicon monocrystal and the RBS analysis of targets in the channeling mode were performed without breach of vacuum conditions. The distribution profiles of implanted atoms and defects in irradiated monocrystals were examined.

Environmentally Friendly Measurement of Airborne Radon Using a Nonvolatile Liquid Scintillation Absorbent.

The practicality of using a liquid scintillation method with a nonvolatile liquid scintillation absorbent for the measurement of airborne Rn (radon) in a residence was examined. The relationship between the radioactivity absorbed by the liquid scintillation absorbent and the radon concentration in the air was investigated in a calibrated walk-in radon chamber. The equivalent radioactivity of radon was calculated for Po radioactivity immediately after radioactive equilibrium was attained using successive decay equations via alpha-particle spectrometry based on the 1 h, indirect, selective measurement of the Po alpha-particle spectrum generated after sampling radon. We confirmed that the amounts of radon absorbed in the liquid scintillation absorbent were proportional to the radon concentration in the air. The calibration curve that exhibited reliable quantitative linearity from 500 to 8,000 Bq m in air was extrapolated to the region between 0 and 500 Bq m using the least-squares method with data from 500 to 8,000 Bq m. The validity of the extrapolated curve at less than 500 Bq m was confirmed by comparison of the measured radon concentrations in the room and atmosphere with those determined using an existing ionization chamber. Variations in the absorption of radon were observed due to changes in temperature and humidity. The health and environmental safety of nonvolatile liquid scintillation absorbent was also considered.

Comparison of HfB2 and ZrB2 behaviors for using in nuclear industry

Owing to the importance of two HfB2 and ZrB2 materials in nuclear industry, the behavior of the two materials under neutron irradiation was examined. As Boron element plays an important role in these materials, it seems that these two substances are more likely to be similar to each other in more terms. However, the results indicated that there were differences. HfB2 is a better absorbent for neutron in all energies rather than ZrB2. However, ZrB2 may become damaged or burnt-out relatively soon. The prompt gamma rays produced in ZrB2 for low energy neutron are far less than those in HfB2, but for high energy neutron, high intensity gamma ray peaks arise in ZrB2. Therefore, if one wants to use these two materials as radiation shield, he should pay attention to that point. Alpha particle spectrum and gamma rays were obtained for different energies of neutron. Half Value Layer (HVL) values for both materials and different neutron energies were also obtained.

Flexible alpha camera for detecting plutonium contamination

We developed a new imaging detector called flexible alpha camera that can identify Pu contamination in narrow spaces at work sites. The thickness of the flexible alpha camera is only ∼1/5th that of the ZnS(Ag) scintillation detector which is commonly used for detecting Pu contamination, and its efficiency in the 4-pi direction is 42.7% for 5.5-MeV alpha particles. The minimal detectable activity (MDA) is 0.014 Bq measured in 30 min. Four types of PuO2 samples, taken from a duct, bag-in/bag-out port, glovebox glove, and vinyl sheet, were measured by the flexible alpha camera. In a two-dimensional distribution of alpha particles, PuO2 was identified automatically using the “AnalyzeParticle” function in the ImageJ plugin, and its activity was evaluated. When acquisition time increased from 10 min to 30 min, a Pu spot with low activity was identified. To verify the measurement in narrow space, a fume hood to which a PuO2 particle was attached was measured using the flexible alpha camera. Since the flexible alpha camera has the thin-thickness of 12 mm and can obtain two-dimensional distribution and energy spectrum of alpha particles, it is effective for detecting Pu contamination in narrow spaces of equipment.

Study of a sealed high gas pressure THGEM detector and response of alpha particle spectra**Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11575193, 11205240, 11265003, U1431109)

A sealed high gas pressure detector working in pure argon is assembled. It consists of a 5 cm × 5 cm PCB THGEM (THick Gaseous Electron Multiplier). The detector structure and experimental setup are described. The performance under high pressure (2 atm) is examined, selecting optimal voltages for the ionization region and induction region. The dependence of the shape of alpha particle spectra measured with relative gas gain on gas pressure (1.3–2.0 atm) has been studied. Eight data sets of relative gas gain versus working voltage of THGEM, expressed by weighting field E/P, are normalized, consistent with theory. The results show that the air tightness of the chamber is good, measured by a sensitive barometer and checked with gas gain. The experimental results are compared with Monte Carlo simulation of energy deposition without gas gain involved.

A comparison of different peak shapes for deconvolution of alpha-particle spectra

Alpha-particle spectrometry is a standard technique for assessing the sample content in terms of alpha-decaying isotopes. A comparison of spectral deconvolutions performed adopting different peak shape functions has been carried out and a sensitivity analysis has been performed to test for the robustness of the results.As previously observed, there is evidence that the alpha peaks are well reproduced by a Gaussian modified by a function which takes into account the prominent tailing that an alpha-particle spectrum measured by means of a silicon detector exhibits. Among the different peak shape functions considered, that proposed by G. Bortels and P. Collaers, Int. J. Rad. Appl. Instrum. A 38, pp. 831–837 (1987) is the function which provides more accurate and more robust results when the spectral resolution is high enough to make such tailing significant. Otherwise, in the case of lower resolution alpha-particle spectra, simpler peak shape functions which are characterized by a lower number of fitting parameters provide adequate results.The proposed comparison can be useful for selecting the most appropriate peak shape function when accurate spectral deconvolution of alpha-particle spectra is sought.

Development of the MICROMEGAS detector for measuring the energy spectrum of alpha particles by using a 241Am source

We have developed MICROMEGAS (MICRO MEsh GASeous) detectors for detecting {\alpha} particles emitted from an 241-Am standard source. The voltage applied to the ionization region of the detector is optimized for stable operation at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The energy of {\alpha} particles from the 241-Am source can be varied by changing the flight path of the {\alpha} particle from the 241 Am source. The channel numbers of the experimentally-measured pulse peak positions for different energies of the {\alpha} particles are associated with the energies deposited by the alpha particles in the ionization region of the detector as calculated by using GEANT4 simulations; thus, the energy calibration of the MICROMEGAS detector for {\alpha} particles is done. For the energy calibration, the thickness of the ionization region is adjusted so that {\alpha} particles may completely stop in the ionization region and their kinetic energies are fully deposited in the region. The efficiency of our MICROMEGAS detector for {\alpha} particles under the present conditions is found to be ~ 97.3 %.

Monte Carlo simulation of semiconductor detector response to 222Rn and 220Rn environments

A new electronic radon/thoron monitor employing semiconductor detectors based on a passive diffusion chamber design has been recently developed at the Helmholtz Zentrum München (HMGU). This device allows for acquisition of alpha particle energy spectra, in order to distinguish alpha particles originating from radon and radon progeny decays, as well as those originating from thoron and its progeny decays. A Monte-Carlo application is described which uses the Geant4 toolkit to simulate these alpha particle spectra. Reasonable agreement between measured and simulated spectra were obtained for both 220Rn and 222Rn, in the energy range between 1 and 10 MeV. Measured calibration factors could be reproduced by the simulation, given the uncertainties involved in the measurement and simulation. The simulated alpha particle spectra can now be used to interpret spectra measured in mixed radon/thoron atmospheres. The results agreed well with measurements performed in both radon and thoron gas environments. It is concluded that the developed simulation allows for an accurate prediction of calibration factors and alpha particle energy spectra.

Experimental Validation of Charge-Sensitive Amplifier Configuration that Compensates for Detector Capacitance

This paper presents measurement results of a method by which the shapes of the output signals derived from a front-end readout circuit can be made insensitive to the input detector capacitance, to a degree limited only by the accuracy with which one can make an amplifier with unity gain. A charge sensitive amplifier including the detector capacitance compensation technique was implemented in a standard 180-nm CMOS technology with a 3.3-V supply voltage. The results show that the technique can successfully mitigate the performance degradation that accompanies large detector capacitance derived from either large-area radiation sensors and/or high permittivity materials, such as nanocrystalline assemblies. In order to verify the feasibility of the technique, we measured alpha particle spectra on two different sized silicon detectors that have detector capacitances of 1.26 pF and 21.84 pF, derived from 2-mm- and 10-mm-diameter devices, respectively. A configuration for integrating the fabricated preamplifier with a detector is also described to exploit the technique for any other application or experiment.

On the analytic estimation of radioactive contamination from degraded alphas

The high energy spectrum of alpha particles emitted from a single isotope uniformly contaminating a bulk solid has a flat energy spectrum with a high end cutoff energy equal to the maximal alpha kinetic energy (Tα) of the decay. In this flat region of the spectrum, we show the surface rate rb (Bq keV−1cm−2) arising from a bulk alpha contamination ρb (Bq cm−3) from a single isotope is given by rb =ρb Δ R/ 4 Δ E , where Δ E = E1−E2>0 is the energy interval considered (keV) in the flat region of the spectrum and Δ R = R2−R1, where R2 (R1) is the amount of the bulk material (cm) necessary to degrade the energy of the alpha from Tα to E2 (E1). We compare our calculation to a rate measurement of alphas from 147Sm, (15.32 ± 0.03% of Sm(nat) and half life of (1.06 ± 0.01)× 1011 yr [1]), and find good agreement, with the ratio between prediction to measurement of 100.2%± 1.6% (stat)± 2.1% (sys). We derive the condition for the flat spectrum, and also calculate the relationship between the decay rate measured at the surface for a [near] surface contamination with an exponential dependence on depth and a second case of an alpha source with a thin overcoat. While there is excellent agreement between our implementation of the sophisticated Monte Carlo program SRIM [2] and our intuitive model in all cases, both fail to describe the measured energy distribution of a 148Gd alpha source with a thin (∼200μg cm−2) Au overcoat. We discuss possible origins of the disagreement and suggest avenues for future study.

BiI3 single crystal for room-temperature gamma ray detectors

BiI3 single crystals were grown by the physical vapor transport method. The repeated sublimation of the starting material reduced impurities in the BiI3 single crystal to sub-ppm levels. The detector was fabricated by depositing Au electrodes on both surfaces of the 100-μm-thick BiI3 single crystal platelet. The resistivity of the BiI3 single crystal was increased by post-annealing in an iodine atmosphere (ρ=1.6×1011Ωcm). Pulse height spectroscopy measurements showed clear peaks in the energy spectrum of alpha particles or gamma rays. It was estimated that the mobility-lifetime product was μeτe=3.4–8.5×10−6cm2/V and the electron–hole pair creation energy was 5.8eV. Our results show that BiI3 single crystals are promising candidates for detectors used in radiographic imaging or gamma ray spectroscopy.

Application of neural network method to detect type of uranium contamination by estimation of activity ratio in environmental alpha spectra

The discrimination of the composition of environmental and non-environmental materials by the estimation of the 234U/238U activity ratio in alpha-particle spectrometry is important in many applications. If the interfering elements are not completely separated from the uranium, they can interfere with the determination of 234U. Thickness as a result of the existence of iron in the source preparation phase and their alpha lines can broaden the alpha line of 234U in alpha spectra. Therefore, the asymmetric broadening of the alpha line of 234U and overlapping of peaks make the analysis of the alpha particle spectra and the interpretation of the results difficult. Applying Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to a spectrometry system is a good idea because it eliminates limitations of classical approaches by extracting the desired information from the input data. In this work, the average of a partial uranium raw spectrum, were considered. Each point that its slope was of the order of 0–1% per 10 channels, was used as input to the multi-layer feed forward error-back propagation network. The network was trained by an alpha spectrum library which has been developed in the present work. The training data in this study was actual spectral data with any reasonable thickness and interfering elements. According to the results, the method applied to estimate the activity ratio in this work, can examine the alpha spectrum for peaks which would not be expected for a source of given element and provide the clues about composition of uranium contamination in the environmental samples in a fast screening and classifying procedures.

R-matrix description of particle energy spectra produced by low-energyH3+H3reactions

An R-matrix model for three-body final states is presented and applied to a recent measurement of the neutron energy spectrum from the T+T->2n+alpha reaction. The calculation includes the n-alpha and n-n interactions in the final state, angular momentum conservation, antisymmetrization, and the interference between different channels. A good fit to the measured spectrum is obtained, where clear evidence for the 5He ground state is observed. The model is also used to predict the alpha-particle spectrum from T+T as well as particle spectra from 3He+3He. The R-matrix approach presented here is very general, and can be adapted to a wide variety of problems with three-body final states.

Alpha-spectrometry and fractal analysis of surface micro-images for characterisation of porous materials used in manufacture of targets for laser plasma experiments

We present the results of employing the alpha-spectrometry method to determine the characteristics of porous materials used in targets for laser plasma experiments. It is shown that the energy spectrum of alpha-particles, after their passage through porous samples, allows one to determine the distribution of their path length in the foam skeleton. We describe the procedure of deriving such a distribution, excluding both the distribution broadening due to statistical nature of the alpha-particle interaction with an atomic structure (straggling) and hardware effects. The fractal analysis of micro-images is applied to the same porous surface samples that have been studied by alpha-spectrometry. The fractal dimension and size distribution of the number of the foam skeleton grains are obtained. Using the data obtained, a distribution of the total foam skeleton thickness along a chosen direction is constructed. It roughly coincides with the path length distribution of alpha-particles within a range of larger path lengths. It is concluded that the combined use of the alpha-spectrometry method and fractal analysis of images will make it possible to determine the size distribution of foam skeleton grains (or pores). The results can be used as initial data in theoretical studies on propagation of the laser and X-ray radiation in specific porous samples.

Growth, fabrication, and testing of bismuth tri-iodide semiconductor radiation detectors

Bismuth tri-iodide (BiI3) is an attractive material for high energy resolution radiation detectors. For the purpose of this research, detectors were fabricated using single crystals grown from ultra-pure BiI3 powder; synthesized by the Physical Vapor Transport (PVT) technique. This technique yielded powder with total impurity level of 7.9 ppm. Efforts were also made to purify commercial BiI3 powder using a custom-built Traveling Zone Refining (TZR) system. Initial trial runs were successful in reducing the total impurity level of the commercial powder from 200 ppm to less than 50 ppm. Using the modified vertical Bridgman technique and a customized sharp tip ampoule, a large BiI3 single crystal was grown. The crystal had a surface area of 2.2 cm2 and a thickness of 0.8 cm, which corresponds to a volume of 1.78 cm3. Radiation detectors were fabricated and then tested by measuring their electrical characteristics and radiation response. An alpha particle spectrum (using a 241Am α-source) was recorded at room temperature with a BiI3 detector 0.09 cm thick and with a surface area of 0.16 cm2. The electron mobility was estimated to be 433 ± 79 cm2/V.

Improved peak shape fitting in alpha spectra

Peak overlap is a recurrent issue in alpha-particle spectrometry, not only in routine analyses but also in the high-resolution spectra from which reference values for alpha emission probabilities are derived. In this work, improved peak shape formulae are presented for the deconvolution of alpha-particle spectra. They have been implemented as fit functions in a spreadsheet application and optimum fit parameters were searched with built-in optimisation routines. Deconvolution results are shown for a few challenging spectra with high statistical precision. The algorithm outperforms the best available routines for high-resolution spectrometry, which may facilitate a more reliable determination of alpha emission probabilities in the future. It is also applicable to alpha spectra with inferior energy resolution.