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Answer to Question #6127 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"Category: Industrial Radiation — Industrial Exposures The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field: Q
I have a question regarding incidental x radiation produced
during ion-beam milling. I have been informed by a company
representative that an ion-beam milling device operating in the 1 keV
to 10 keV range produces no radiation. I have also found studies that
noted radiation damage to samples that had been prepared by argon ion
milling. Is this a response to only radiofrequency radiation or does
the ion-milling device produce any x radiation in the course of its
normal usage? A
The company representative is correct that an ion-beam milling
device, operating in the 1 to 10 keV range, produces no radiation
outside the device. Heavy charged particles (those with masses greater
than a proton), with energies much less than their rest-mass energy
(E=mc2) slow down almost entirely due to coulombic
interactions (Rutherford scattering off other nuclei), which will not
produce characteristic x rays or x rays from bremsstrahlung. A few
energetic electrons (delta-rays) can be produced, but these will be of
such a low magnitude and low energy that the vacuum chamber, used for
the ion-beam milling, will stop these electrons. The material being
milled may suffer "damage" from the ion beam itself.
Answer posted on 7 February 2007. The information and material posted on this Web site is intended as general reference information only. Specific facts and circumstances may alter the concepts and applications of materials and information described herein. The information provided is not a substitute for professional advice and should not be relied upon in the absence of such professional advice specific to whatever facts and circumstances are presented in any given situation. Answers are correct at the time they are posted on the Web site. Be advised that over time, some requirements could change, new data could be made available, or Internet links could change. For answers that have been posted for several months or longer, please check the current status of the posted information prior to using the responses for specific applications.
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