Application of atomic and nuclear techniques to the study of inhomogeneities in electrodeposited α-particle sources

Three α-particle sources made by different methods of electrodeposition were analysed using α-particle spectrometry, Rutherford backscattering (RBS), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) on several surface zones. The thickness and homogeneity of these sources was studied using RBS, and the results were analysed jointly with those obtained with α-particle spectrometry and AFM techniques. The comparison of the electrodeposition methods showed that the most homogeneous electrodeposited zones corresponded to the source made with a stirring cathode.