Nondestructive Determination of Tritium Content of Erbium Tritide Thin Films

Abstract

The x-ray spectrum resulting from beta decay of an erbium tritide film is used to measure tritium content of the film. The areal density of the film is measured using differential emission techniques and is used to correct the measured x-ray intensity for self-absorption. The corrected intensity is linearly related to tritium content through an empirically derived calibration curve. The technique will measure tritium contents from less than one to several hundred micron liters. Repeatability is generally determined by counting errors and is typically 0.3% for a 5-min count while accuracy depends upon the empirical calibration technique. In principle, the technique is not limited to erbium tritide but can be extended to many uniformly radiating thin films.