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Browsing by Author "Pastuovic, Z"

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Antimicrobial and anti-Inflammatory gallium Implanted ‘trojan Horse’ surfaces for implantable devices
(Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 2021-11-23) Divakarla, SK; Das, T; Chatterjee, C; Ionescu, M; Pastuovic, Z; Jang, JH; Alkhoury, H; Loppnow, H; Yamaguchi, S; Groth, T; Chrzanowski, W
A rapidly aging population, high incidence of osteoporosis and trauma-related fractures, and better health care access explain rapid surge in utilisation of orthopedic implantable devices. Unfortunately, many implants fail without strategies that synergistically prevent infections and enhance the implant’s integration with host tissues. Here, we propose a solution that builds on our pioneering work on gallium (Ga)-enhanced biomaterials, which show exceptional antimicrobial activity, and combined it with defensin (De, hBD-1), which has potent anti-microbial activity in vivo as part of the innate immune system. Our aim was to simultaneously impart antimicrobial activity and anti-inflammatory properties to polymer-based implantable devices through the modification of the surfaces with Ga ions and immobilisation of De. Poly-lactic acid (PLA) films were modified using Ga implantation using the Surface Engineering Beamline of the 6MV SIRIUS tandem accelerator at ANSTO Australia, and subsequently functionalised with De. Ga ion implantation increased surface roughness and increased stiffness of treated PLA surfaces and led to the reduction in foreign body giant cell formation and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β. Ga implantation and defensin immobilization both independently and synergistically introduced antimicrobial activity to the surfaces, significantly reducing total live biomass. We demonstrated, for the first time, that antimicrobial effects of De were enhanced by its surface immobilization. Cumulatively, the Ga-De surfaces were able to kill bacteria and reduce inflammation in comparison to the untreated control. These innovative surfaces have the potential to prevent biofilm formation without inducing cellular toxicity or inflammation, which is essential in enhancing integration of implantable devices with host tissues and hence, ensure their longevity. © The Authors
The Centre for Accelerator Science at ANSTO
(International Atomic Energy Agency, 2014-01-14) Hotchkis, MAC; Child, DP; Cohen, DD; Dodson, JR; Fink, D; Fujioka, T; Garton, D; Hua, Q; Ionescu, M; Jacobsen, GE; Levchenko, VA; Mifsud, C; Pastuovic, Z; Siegele, R; Smith, AM; Wilcken, KM; Williams, AG
In 2009, the Federal government provided funding of $25m to ANSTO through the Education Investment Fund, to build state-of-the-art applied accelerator science facilities, with the primary aim of providing world-leading accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and ion beam analysis (IBA) facilities. New buildings are now under construction and Building plans are now well advanced, and two new accelerators are on order with National Electrostatics Corporation, USA. The 1MV AMS accelerator system is designed with the capability to perform high efficiency, high precision AMS analysis across the full mass range. Large beam-optical acceptance will ensure high quality and high throughput radiocarbon measurements. High mass resolution analyzers, at low and high energy, coupled to a novel fast isotope switching system, will enable high quality analysis of actinide radioisotopes. The 6MV tandem accelerator will be instrumented with a wide range of AMS, IBA and ion irradiation facilities. The three ion sources include hydrogen and helium sources, and a MCSNICS sputter source for solid materials. The AMS facility has end stations for (i) a gasabsorber detector for 10Be analysis, (ii) a time-of-flight detector, (iii) a gas-filled magnet and(iv) a general use ionization detector suited to 36Cl and other analyses. Initially, there will be four IBA beamlines, including a new ion beam microprobe currently on order with Oxford Microbeams. The other beamlines will include an on-line ion implanter, nuclear reaction analysis and elastic recoil detection analysis facilities. The beam hall layout allows for future expansion, including the possibility of porting the beam to the existing ANTARES beam hall for simultaneous irradiation experiments.Two buildings are currently under construction, one for the new accelerators and the other for new chemistry laboratories for AMS and mass spectrometry facilities. The AMS chemistry labs are planned in two stages, with the new radiocarbon labs to come in the second phase of work.
Characterisation of anthropogenic radioactive particles from former weapon test sites in Australia
(South Pacific Environmental Radioactivity Association, 2018-11-06) Young, EL; Johansen, MP; Child, DP; Hotchkis, MAC; Howell, NR; Pastuovic, Z; Howard, DL; Palmer, T; Davis, J
Former nuclear test sites on Australian territories such as those at Maralinga and the Montebello islands have been remediated to varying extents but wide-spread radioactivity still remains. Fission and neutron-activation products at the test sites have been decaying over time but long-lived radioisotopes such as uranium and plutonium persist within the environment, predominantly in the form of discrete particles. These particles vary widely in composition depending upon the detonation characteristics and local geology, and are widely dispersed around each site. Radioactive particles are the dominant form of radionuclides at the former test sites and the future distribution of radioactive contaminants in the environment at these sites is largely dependent upon their fate and behaviour. The weathering of particles in the environment and the potential release of the radioactivity they contain is influenced by a range of factors including particle morphology, elemental composition and chemical form, and the prevailing environmental conditions. Radioactive particles have been isolated from soils and sediments from Australian test sites and characterised using photostimulated luminescence (PSL)-autoradiography, scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The characteristics of the particles and potential implications for their long term fate will be discussed in the context of the techniques applied and the environments in which the particles were found.
Characterization of MOSFET sensors for dosimetry in alpha particle therapy
(Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, 2021-11-24) Su, FY; Biasi, G; Tran, LT; Pan, VA; Hill, D; Lielkajis, M; Cutajar, D; Petasecca. M; Lerch, MLF; Pastuovic, Z; Poder, J; Joseph, B; Jackson, M; Anatoly, RB
Alpha particle therapy, such as diffusing alpha-emitters radiation therapy (DaRT) and targeted alpha-particle therapy (TAT), exploits the short-range and high linear energy transfer (LET) of alpha particles to destroy cancer cells locally with minimal damage to surrounding healthy cells. Dosimetry for DaRT and TAT is challenging, as their radiation sources produce mixed radiation fields of α particles, β particles, and γ rays. There is currently no dosimeter for real-time in vivo dosimetry of DaRT or TAT. Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) have features that are ideal for this scenario. Owing to their compactness, MOSFETs can fit into fine-gauge needle applicators, such as those used to carry the radioactive seeds into the tumour. This study characterized the response of MOSFETs designed at the Centre for Medical and Ra diation Physics, University of Wollongong. MOSFETs with three different gate oxide thicknesses (0.55 µm, 0.68 µm, and 1.0 µm) were irradiated with a 5.5 MeV mono-energetic helium ion beam (He2+) using SIRIUS 6MV accelerator tandem at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) and an Americium-241 (241Am) source. The sensitivity and dose-response linearity were assessed by analysing the spatially resolved median energy maps of each device and their corresponding voltage shift values. The re sults showed that the response of the MOSFET detectors was linear with alpha dose up to 25.68 Gy. Also, it was found that a gate bias of between 15 V and 60 V would optimize the sensitivity of the detectors to alpha particles with energy of 5.5 MeV. © The Authors.
Charge collection efficiency degradation induced by MeV ions in semiconductor devices: model and experiment
(Elsvier, 2016-01-01) Vittone, E; Pastuovic, Z; Breese, M; Garcia Lopez, J; Jakšić, M; Raisanen, J; Siegele, R; Simon, A; Vizkelethy, G
This paper investigates both theoretically and experimentally the charge collection efficiency (CCE) degradation in silicon diodes induced by energetic ions. Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) measurements carried out on n- and p-type silicon diodes which were previously irradiated with MeV He ions show evidence that the CCE degradation does not only depend on the mass, energy and fluence of the damaging ion, but also depends on the ion probe species and on the polarization state of the device. A general one-dimensional model is derived, which accounts for the ion-induced defect distribution, the ionization profile of the probing ion and the charge induction mechanism. Using the ionizing and non-ionizing energy loss profiles resulting from simulations based on the binary collision approximation and on the electrostatic/transport parameters of the diode under study as input, the model is able to accurately reproduce the experimental CCE degradation curves without introducing any phenomenological additional term or formula. Although limited to low level of damage, the model is quite general, including the displacement damage approach as a special case and can be applied to any semiconductor device. It provides a method to measure the capture coefficients of the radiation induced recombination centres. They can be considered indexes, which can contribute to assessing the relative radiation hardness of semiconductor materials. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.
Charge collection in SOI microdosimeters and their radiation hardness
(IEEE, 2023-02-03) Pan, VA; Tran, LT; Pastuovic, Z; Hill, D; Williams, JB; Kok, A; Povoli, M; Pogossov, A; Peracchi, S; Boardman, DA; Davis, J; Guatelli, S; Petasecca, M; Lerch, MLF; Rosenfeld, AB
A new batch of microdosimeters has been extensively studied for their charge collection efficiency (CCE) properties, as well as their radiation hardness for medical, space and accident applications. Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) microdosimeters with an active layer thickness of 10, 20 and 50 μm have been investigated and were characterized with a 24 MeV carbon ion beam as well as a Co-60 gamma source. A negative pulse was observed in addition to the positive pulses generated within the sensitive volumes (SVs) by incident ions which led to undesirable low energy events in the SOI microdosimeters response. To study this phenomenon, the microdosimeters were irradiated with gamma radiation from a Co-60 source with a total dose of 3 and 10 Mrad(Si). It was determined that the negative pulse was originating from the support wafer due to the displacement current phenomenon. Irradiation with the Co-60 source led to a disappearing of the negative pulse due to an increase in recombination within the support wafer while almost no changes in CCE were observed. A radiation hardness study was also performed on the 50 μm SOI microdosimeter with 16 SVs being irradiated with a fluence of ~ 10 8 12 C ions/cm 2 . A CCE deficit of approximately 2% was observed at an operation bias of 10V within the SVs. The findings of this work demonstrate that the SOI microdosimeters can be utilized in space and medical applications as they can handle typical levels of dose encountered in these applications. Additionally, evidence for SOI microdosimeter fabrication standards in terms of support wafer resistivity and buried oxide (BOX) thickness is shown. © 2023 IEEE
Comparison of in vivo binding properties of the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO) ligands [18F]PBR102 and [18F]PBR111 in a model of excitotoxin-induced neuroinflammation
(Springer Link, 2015-01) Callaghan, PD; Wimberley, CA; Rahardjo, GL; Berghofer, PJ; Pham, TQ; Jackson, TW; Zahra, D; Bourdier, T; Wyatt, N; Greguric, I; Howell, NR; Siegele, R; Pastuovic, Z; Mattner, F; Loc'h, C; Grégoire, MC; Katsifis, A
The in vivo binding parameters of the novel imidazopyridine TSPO ligand [18F]PBR102 were assessed and compared with those of [18F]PBR111 in a rodent model of neuroinflammation. The validity of the key assumptions of the simplified reference tissue model (SRTM) for estimation of binding potential (BP) was determined, with validation against a two-tissue compartment model (2TC). Methods Acute neuroinflammation was assessed 7 days after unilateral stereotaxic administration of (R,S)-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolopropionique (AMPA) in anaesthetized adult Wistar rats. Anaesthetized rats were implanted with a femoral arterial cannula then injected with a low mass of [18F]PBR102 or [18F]PBR111 and dynamic images were acquired over 60 min using an INVEON PET/CT camera. Another population of rats underwent the same PET protocol after pretreatment with a presaturating mass of the same unlabelled tracer (1 mg/kg) to assess the validity of the reference region for SRTM analysis. Arterial blood was sampled during imaging, allowing pharmacokinetic determination of radiotracer concentrations. Plasma activity concentration–time curves were corrected for unchanged tracer based on metabolic characterization experiments in a separate cohort of Wistar rats. The stability of neuroinflammation in both imaging cohorts was assessed by [125I] CLINDE TSPO quantitative autoradiography, OX42/GFAP immunohistochemistry, Fluoro-Jade C histology, and elemental mapping using microparticle-induced x-ray emission spectroscopy. The BP of each ligand were assessed in the two cohorts of lesioned animals using both SRTM and a 2TC with arterial parent compound concentration, coupled with the results from the presaturation cohort for comparison and validation of the SRTM. Results The BPs of [18F]PBR102 [18F]PBR111 were equivalent, with improved signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity compared with [11C]PK11195. The presaturation study showed differences in the volume of distribution between the ipsilateral striatum and the striatum contralateral to the injury (0.7) indicating that an assumption of the SRTM was not met. The modelling indicated that the BPs were consistent for both ligands. Between the SRTM and 2TC model, the BPs were highly correlated, but there was a bias in BP. Conclusion [18F]PBR102 and [18F]PBR111 have equivalent binding properties in vivo, displaying significantly greater BPs with lower signal-to-noise ratio than [11C]PK11195. While an assumption of the SRTM was not met, this modelling approach was validated against 2TC modelling for both ligands, facilitating future use in longitudinal PET imaging of neuroinflammation.© 2014, Springer Nature
Creation of microstructures using heavy ion beam lithography
(Elsevier, 2011-10-15) Varasanec, M; Bogdanović-Radović, I; Pastuovic, Z; Jakšić, M
In this work, three-dimensional (3D) structures were produced in PMMA and CR-39 polymer resists using a carbon ion microbeam. To investigate possible advantages of heavy ions compared to the well-established proton beam lithography, the same resist materials were also irradiated with protons that had a range in the materials studied here similar to that of carbon ions. The microstructures produced in different resists were analysed after chemical etching. The quality of the bottom and side walls of the structures produced by protons and carbon ions were compared using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results showed that, for the resist materials tested, lithographic structures made with the 8 MeV carbon beam had more rough lateral and bottom surfaces compared to those made with 0.6 MeV proton beam lithography. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V.
Cultural heritage project at Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)
(Springer Nature, 2022-01-25) Salvemini, F; White, R; Levchenko, VA; Smith, AM; Pastuovic, Z; Stopic, A; Luzin, V; Tobin, MJ; Puskar, L; Howard, DL; Davis, J; Avdeev, M; Gatenby, S; Kim, MJ; Grazzi, F; Sheedy, K; Olsen, SR; Raymond, CA; Lord, C; Richards, C; Bevitt, JJ; Popelka-Filcoff, RS; Lenehan, CE; Ives, S; Dredge, P; Yip, A; Brookhouse, MT; Austin, AG
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) is the home of Australia’s most significant landmark and national infrastructure for research. ANSTO operates one of the world’s most modern nuclear research reactors, OPAL; a comprehensive suite of neutron beam instruments; the Australian Synchrotron; the Electron Microscope Facility; and the Center for Accelerator Science. Over the years, the suite of nuclear methods available across ANSTO’s campuses has been increasingly applied to study a wide range of heritage materials. Since 2015 the strategic research project on cultural heritage was initiated in order to promote access to ANSTO’s capabilities and expertise, unique in the region, by cultural institution and researchers. This chapter offers a compendium of ANSTO nuclear capabilities most frequently applied to cultural heritage research. A series of innovative, interdisciplinary, and multi-technique studies conducted in close collaboration with Australian museums, institutions, and universities is also showcased. It includes research on dating Aboriginal Australian rock art and fingerprinting the sources of ochre pigments; rediscovering the technological knowledge in the making of early coinage and ancient weapons; virtually unwrapping the content of votive mummies from ancient Egypt; and investigating and restoring the original layer of a painting that can be explored by the museum audience in a novel type of exhibition based on an immersive, interactive, and virtual environment. © 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Developing electronic devices capable of withstanding harsh radiation
(2013-05-13) Pastuovic, Z; Vittone, E; Siegele, R; Capan, I; Vizkelethy, G; Cohen, DD; Jakšić, M
Studies performed by Zeljko Pastuovic at ANSTO’s microprobe facility, in collaboration with a team of international researchers, are helping to understand, model and predict the detrimental influence of ionising radiation on semiconducting materials required in millions of electronic devices. The research aims to develop materials and devices that are able to better withstand the damaging effects of high energy particles present in harsh radiation environments, such as solar cells, and power satellites in space, as well as materials used in high-energy physics and accelerators. These studies will help semiconductor, aerospace and other industries to better understand and extend the life of electronic devices.
Engineering silicon carbide for enhanced borders and ports security
(Springer, 2019-09-17) Capan, I; Brodar, T; Pastuovic, Z; Bernat, R; Coutinho, J; Radulović, V; Snoj, L; Torres, V; Sarbutt, A; Ohshima, T.; Ereš, Z; Ambrožič, K; Yamazaki, Y; Makino, T
Developing new state-of-the-art, low-cost and radiation hard detectors is an extremely difficult challenge which can be tackled only by a multisciplinary group of scientists and engineers from various fields having access to different infrastructure. In our project, Engineering silicon carbide for enhanced borders and ports security (-SiCure) funded by the NATO SPS programme [project number G5215] five partners from Australia (ANSTO), Croatia (RBI), Japan (QST), Portugal (UA) and Slovenia (JSI) have created a team whose main goal is to develop a SiC detector of special nuclear materials. © 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Focused ion beam fabrication and IBIC characterisation of a diamond detector with buried electrodes
(Elsevier, 2011-10-15) Olivero, P; Forneris, J; Jakšić, M; Pastuovic, Z; Picollo, F; Skukan, N; Vittone, E
This paper reports on the fabrication and characterization of a high purity monocrystalline diamond detector with buried electrodes realized by the selective damage induced by a focused 6 MeV carbon ion beam scanned over a pattern defined at the micrometric scale. A suitable variable-thickness mask was deposited on the diamond surface in order to modulate the penetration depth of the ions and to shallow the damage profile toward the surface. After the irradiation, the sample was annealed at high temperature in order to promote the conversion to the graphitic phase of the end-of range regions which experienced an ion-induced damage exceeding the damage threshold, while recovering the sub-threshold damaged regions to the highly resistive diamond phase. This process provided conductive graphitic electrodes embedded in the insulating diamond matrix; the presence of the variable-thickness mask made the terminations of the channels emerging at the diamond surface and available to be connected to an external electronic circuit. In order to evaluate the quality of this novel microfabrication procedure based on direct ion writing, we performed frontal Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) measurements by raster scanning focused MeV ion beams onto the diamond surface. Charge collection efficiency (CCE) maps were measured at different bias voltages. The interpretation of such maps was based on the Shockley-Ramo-Gunn formalism. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Generation of vacancy cluster-related defects during single MeV silicon ion implantation of silicon
(Elsevier, 2014-08-01) Pastuovic, Z; Capan, I; Siegele, R; Jacimovic, R; Forneris, J; Cohen, DD; Vittone, E
Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) has been used to study defects formed in bulk silicon after implantation of 8.3 MeV 28Si3+ ions at room temperature. For this study, Schottky diodes prepared from n-type Czohralski-grown silicon wafers have been implanted in the single ion regime up to fluence value of 1 × 1010 cm−2 utilizing the scanning focused ion microbeam as implantation tool and the Ion Beam Induced Current (IBIC) technique for ion counting. Differential DLTS analysis of the vacancy-rich region in self-implanted silicon reveals a formation of the broad vacancy-related defect state(s) at Ec −0.4 eV. Direct measurements of the electron capture kinetics associated with this trap at Ec −0.4 eV, prior to any annealing do not show an exponential behaviour typical for the simple point-like defects. The logarithmic capture kinetics is in accordance with the theory of majority carrier capture at extended or cluster-related defects. We have detected formation of two deep electron traps at Ec −0.56 eV and Ec −0.61 eV in the interstitial-rich region of the self-implanted silicon, before any annealing. No DLTS signal originating from vacancy-oxygen trap at Ec −0.17 eV, present in the sample irradiated with 0.8 MeV neutrons, has been recorded in the self-implanted sample. © 2014, Elsevier B.V.
Heavy ion PIXE cross sections in Ti, Zn, Nb, Ru and Ta for 4.8–30.0 MeV oxygen and 3.0–12.0 MeV lithium beams
(Elsevier B. V., 2019-07-01) Siegele, R; Cohen, DD; Pastuovic, Z
Heavy ion Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) spectroscopy offers a number of advantages over standard proton PIXE, such as higher yields and therefore higher sensitivity. However, in order to be able to use heavy ion PIXE more detailed measurements of the ionisation and X-ray cross sections for heavy ions are required. This issue was recognised by one of the Coordinated Research Projects (CRP) of the IAEA on MeV Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). ANSTO took part in this CRP and we measured X-ray production cross sections on a range of samples for oxygen and lithium beam in the energy range of 4.8–30 MeV and 3–12 MeV, respectively. Here we report on these X-ray production cross section measurements and compare the results with theoretical models. Further energy shifts of the characteristic X-ray lines for the different ion-target combinations are presented and discussed. Crown Copyright © 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.
IBIC microscopy – the powerful tool for testing micron – sized sensitive volumes in segmented radiation detectors used in synchrotron microbeam radiation and hadron therapies
(Elsevier B. V., 2019-11-01) Pastuovic, Z; Davis, J; Tran, LT; Paino, JR; Dipuglia, A; James, B; Povoli, M; Kok, A; Perevertaylo, VL; Siegele, R; Prokopovich, DA; Lerch, MLF; Petasecca, M; Rosenfeld, AB; Cohen, DD
Ion Beam Induced Charge (IBIC) microscopy performed using highly tuned microbeams of accelerated ions with energies in the MeV range is the powerful tool for analysis of charge carrier transport properties in semiconductor devices based on semiconductor hetero-junction, metal-on-semiconductor and semiconductor-on-insulator configurations. Here we present two cases of recent applications of the IBIC microscopy in the field of medical radiation physics. The reduced-rate ion microbeams with energies in the MeV range and sub-micrometer spot-sizes have been used for the investigations of the charge collection efficiency (CCE) in sensitive volumes of segmented radiation detectors in order to measure the spatial distribution and uniformity of CCE in different polarization conditions. This information allows the determination of the charge carrier transport properties in selected substructures of a particular device and to quantify its ability to accurately determine the energy deposited by incident ionizing radiation - two fundamental requirements of any microdosimeter or detector of ionizing radiation. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.
Investigation of elemental changes in brain tissues following excitotoxic injury
(Elsevier, 2013-07-01) Siegele, R; Howell, NR; Callaghan, PD; Pastuovic, Z
Recently the ANSTO heavy ion microprobe has been used for elemental mapping of thin brain tissue sections. The fact that a very small portion of the proton energy is used for X-ray excitation combined with small variations of the major element concentrations makes μ-PIXE imaging and GeoPIXE analysis a challenging task. Excitotoxic brain injury underlies the pathology of stroke and various neurodegenerative disorders. Large fluxes in Ca+2 cytosolic concentrations are a key feature of the initiation of this pathophysiological process. In order to understand if these modifications are associated with changes in the elemental composition, several brain sections have been mapped with μ-PIXE. Increases in Ca+2 cytosolic concentrations were indicative of the pathophysiological process continuing 1 week after an initiating neural insult. We were able to measure significant variations in K and Ca concentration distribution across investigated brain tissue. These variations correlate very well with physiological changes visible in the brain tissue. Moreover, the obtained μ-PIXE results clearly demonstrate that the elemental composition changes significantly correlate with brain drauma. © 2013, Elsevier B.V.
Light and heavy ion beam analysis of thin biological sections
(Elsevier, 2013-07-01) Lee, J; Siegele, R; Pastuovic, Z; Hackett, MJ; Hunt, NH; Grau, GE; Cohen, DD; Lay, PA
The application of ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques to thin biological sections (ThBS) presents unique challenges in sample preparation, data acquisition and analysis. These samples are often the end product of expensive, time-consuming experiments, which involve many steps that require careful attention. Analysis via several techniques can maximise the information that is collected from these samples. Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) and Rutherford backscattering (RBS) spectroscopy are two generally non-destructive IBA techniques that use the same MeV ions and can be performed simultaneously. The use of heavy ion PIXE applied to thick samples has, in the past, resulted in X-ray spectra of a poorer quality when compared to those obtained with proton beams. One of the reasons for this is the shorter probing depth of the heavy ions, which does not affect thin sample analysis. Therefore, we have investigated and compared 3-MeV proton and 36-MeV carbon ion beams on 7-μm thick mouse brain sections at the ANSTO Heavy ion microprobe (HIMP). The application of a 36-MeV C4+ ion beam for PIXE mapping of ThBS on thin Si3N4 substrate windows produced spectra of high quality that displayed close to a nine-times gain in signal yield (Z2/q) when compared to those obtained for 3-MeV protons for P, S, Cl and K but not for Fe, Cu and Zn. Image quality was overall similar; however, some elements showed better contrast and features with protons whilst others showed improved contrast with a carbon ion beam. RBS spectra with high enough counting statistics were easily obtained with 3-MeV proton beams resulting in high resolution carbon maps, however, the count rate for nitrogen and oxygen was too low. The results demonstrate that on thin samples, 36-MeV C4+ will produce good quality PIXE spectra in less time; therefore, carbon ions may be advantageous depending on which element is being studied. However, these advantages may be outweighed by the inherent disadvantages including increased ion beam damage, the necessity of very high ion energies resulting in higher neutron fields. © 2013, Elsevier B.V.
Monte Carlo analysis of a lateral IBIC experiment on a 4H-SiC Schottkey diode
(Elsevier B.V., 2011-10-15) Olivero, P; Forneris, J; Gamarra, P; Jakšić, M; Lo Giudice, A; Manfredotti, C; Pastuovic, Z; Skukan, N; Vittone, E
The transport properties of a 4H-SiC Schottky diode have been investigated by the ion beam induced charge (IBIC) technique in lateral geometry through the analysis of the charge collection efficiency (CCE) profile at a fixed applied reverse bias voltage. The cross section of the sample orthogonal to the electrodes was irradiated by a rarefied 4 MeV proton microbeam and the charge pulses have been recorded as function of incident proton position with a spatial resolution of 2 mu m. The CCE profile shows a broad plateau with CCE values close to 100% occurring at the depletion layer, whereas in the neutral region, the exponentially decreasing profile indicates the dominant role played by the diffusion transport mechanism. Mapping of charge pulses was accomplished by a novel computational approach, which consists in mapping the Gunn's weighting potential by solving the electrostatic problem by finite element method and hence evaluating the induced charge at the sensing electrode by a Monte Carlo method. The combination of these two computational methods enabled an exhaustive interpretation of the experimental profiles and allowed an accurate evaluation both of the electrical characteristics of the active region (e.g. electric field profiles) and of basic transport parameters (i.e. diffusion length and minority carrier lifetime). (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A Monte carlo software for the 1-dimensional simulation of IBIC experiments
(Science Direct, 2014-08-01) Forneris, J; Jakšić, M; Pastuovic, Z; Vittone, E
The ion beam induced charge (IBIC) microscopy is a valuable tool for the analysis of the electronic properties of semiconductors. In this work, a recently developed Monte Carlo approach for the simulation of IBIC experiments is presented along with a self-standing software equipped with graphical user interface. The method is based on the probabilistic interpretation of the excess charge carrier continuity equations and it offers to the end-user the full control not only of the physical properties ruling the induced charge formation mechanism (i.e., mobility, lifetime, electrostatics, device’s geometry), but also of the relevant experimental conditions (ionization profiles, beam dispersion, electronic noise) affecting the measurement of the IBIC pulses. Moreover, the software implements a novel model for the quantitative evaluation of the radiation damage effects on the charge collection efficiency degradation of ion-beam-irradiated devices. The reliability of the model implementation is then validated against a benchmark IBIC experiment. © 2014, Elsevier B.V.
The new confocal heavy ion microprobe beamline at ANSTO: the first microprobe resolution tests and applications for elemental imaging and analysis
(Elsevier B.V., 2017-08-01) Pastuovic, Z; Siegele, R; Cohen, DD; Mann, M; Ionescu, M; Button, D; Long, S
The Centre for Accelerator Science facility at ANSTO has been expanded with the new NEC 6MV “SIRIUS” accelerator system in 2015. In this paper we present a detailed description of the new nuclear microprobe–Confocal Heavy Ion Micro-Probe (CHIMP) together with results of the microprobe resolution testing and the elemental analysis performed on typical samples of mineral ore deposits and hyper-accumulating plants regularly measured at ANSTO. The CHIMP focusing and scanning systems are based on the OM-150 Oxford quadrupole triplet and the OM-26 separated scan-coil doublet configurations. A maximum ion rigidity of 38.9amu-MeV was determined for the following nuclear microprobe configuration: the distance from object aperture to collimating slits of 5890mm, the working distance of 165mm and the lens bore diameter of 11mm. The overall distance from the object to the image plane is 7138mm. The CHIMP beamline has been tested with the 3MeV H+ and 6MeV He2+ ion beams. The settings of the object and collimating apertures have been optimized using the WinTRAX simulation code for calculation of the optimum acceptance settings in order to obtain the highest possible ion current for beam spot sizes of 1μm and 5μm. For optimized aperture settings of the CHIMP the beam brightness was measured to be ∼0.9pAμm−2mrad−2 for 3MeV H+ ions, while the brightness of ∼0.4pAμm−2mrad−2 was measured for 6MeV He2+ ions. The smallest beam sizes were achieved using a microbeam with reduced particle rate of 1000Hz passing through the object slit apertures several micrometers wide. Under these conditions a spatial resolution of ∼0.6μm×1.5μm for 3MeV H+ and ∼1.8μm×1.8μm for 6MeV He2+ microbeams in horizontal (and vertical) dimension has been achieved. The beam sizes were verified using STIM imaging on 2000 and 1000mesh Cu electron microscope grids. © 2017 Elsevier B.V.

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