Hydrogen Detection with a Gas Ionization Elastic Recoil Detector

The capabilities of a large solid angle gas ionization detector have been evaluated for the detection of elastic recoil protons. The use of various electrode signals is examined for the determination of total hydrogen concentrations and depth profiles. Moderate resolution depth profiles, comparable to those obtained with the standard recoil techniques using low energy, α-particle beams, are possible with a reduced but reasonable detector acceptance (∼1 msr). It has been confirmed that multiple scattering effects become the dominant factor in determining the depth resolution achievable for surface films containing elements beyond about Z = 20