Secondary ion mass spectrometry combined with micro-Raman spectroscopy for isotopic and chemical analysis of individual uranium particles

Yomogida, Takumi   ; Esaka, Fumitaka  ; Magara, Masaaki  

Analysis of individual uranium particles in environmental samples from nuclear facilities is useful for detecting nuclear activity. Uranium isotope ratios in the samples are measured to detect nuclear activities related to production of nuclear weapons. We can detect the nuclear activities such as refining, conversion and enrichment process by determination of the chemical form of uranium particles. In this study, we developed a secondary ion mass spectrometry combined with micro-Raman spectroscopy for isotopic and chemical analysis of individual uranium particles. The developed methods have been applied to the analysis of reference uranium materials. As a result, the isotope ratios and the chemical form of individual uranium particle can be analyzed with the proposed method.