The use of aluminum nitride to improve Aluminum-26 Accelerator Mass Spectrometry measurements and production of Radioactive Ion Beams

Journal Article · Mon Jun 29 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section B, Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2015.05.037· OSTI ID:1341542

Janzen, Meghan S. ^[1]; Galindo-Uribarri, Alfredo  ^[1]; Liu, Yuan ^[2]; Mills, Gerald D. ^[2]; Romero-Romero, Elisa ^[3]; Stracener, Daniel W. ^[2]

---

1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Physics Division; Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Department of Physics and Astronomy
2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Physics Division
3. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Physics Division; Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Physics and Astronomy

In this paper, we present results and discuss the use of aluminum nitride as a promising source material for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) and Radioactive Ion Beams (RIBs) science applications of ²⁶Al isotopes. The measurement of ²⁶Al in geological samples by AMS is typically conducted on Al₂O₃ targets. However, Al₂O₃ is not an ideal source material because it does not form a prolific beam of Al^- required for measuring low-levels of ²⁶Al. Multiple samples of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), aluminum nitride (AlN), mixed Al₂O₃–AlN as well as aluminum fluoride (AlF₃) were tested and compared using the ion source test facility and the stable ion beam (SIB) injector platform at the 25-MV tandem electrostatic accelerator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Negative ion currents of atomic and molecular aluminum were examined for each source material. It was found that pure AlN targets produced substantially higher beam currents than the other materials and that there was some dependence on the exposure of AlN to air. The applicability of using AlN as a source material for geological samples was explored by preparing quartz samples as Al₂O₃ and converting them to AlN using a carbothermal reduction technique, which involved reducing the Al₂O₃ with graphite powder at 1600°C within a nitrogen atmosphere. The quartz material was successfully converted to AlN. Thus far, AlN proves to be a promising source material and could lead towards increasing the sensitivity of low-level ²⁶Al AMS measurements. In conclusion, the potential of using AlN as a source material for nuclear physics is also very promising by placing ²⁶AlN directly into a source to produce more intense radioactive beams of ²⁶Al.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1341542
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1246208
• Journal Information: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section B, Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Vol. 361; ISSN 0168-583X
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES
AMS
26Al
Aluminum nitride
Negative ion source