Measurement of hydrogen isotopes by a nuclear microprobe

We here report mapping of hydrogen isotopes by elastic recoil detection analysis using heavy ions as projectiles at the Uppsala Tandem Laboratory nuclear microprobe. The system performance was evaluated by measurements on well defined samples of deuterium implanted vitreous carbon. Separation of hydrogen and deuterium as well as depth profiling was demonstrated by an appropriate choice of ion beams and recoil detection techniques. No effect was observed on the concentration profile of the implanted deuterium when a 7 MeV primary carbon ion beam was used. The hydrogen concentration near the sample surface was, however, significantly influenced by ion-induced detrapping.