On the improvement of material properties and performance of nuclear targets

Vascon, A.; Wiehl, N.*; Runke, J.*; Drebert, J.*; Reich, T.*; Trautmann, N.*; Cremer, B.*; Kgler, T.*; Beyer, R.*; Junghans, A. R.*; Eberhardt, K.*; Dllmann, Ch. E.*

In the last years efforts have been undertaken to improve the quality of nuclear targets. Experiments have been performed with lanthanide elements. Plating parameters have been varied and their effects on the material properties of the produced targets have been investigated. The combined use of as smooth as possible substrates and low volatility solvents has turned out to be effective for the production of smooth defect-free layers. The comparison between the performance of these layers and conventional targets has been studied in spectroscopy experiments. Improvements in relative detection efficiency of as much as 15% have been achieved. In the symposium, the plating parameters that have a crucial influence on the material properties and performance of nuclear targets will be discussed. Results of the application of the optimized plating procedure to the production of actinide targets will be also shown.