Fabrication of oxygen-rich targets for elastic backscattering applications using the high-energy vibrational powder plating method

Abstract

Thin and thick oxygen-rich targets of metal-oxide WO${}_3$ powder were prepared using an in-air version of the high-energy vibrational powder plating method. The targets are intended to be used for elastic backscattering applications of ¹⁶O($\alpha$, $\alpha$) and ¹⁶O(p,p) resonances at 3038 keV and 3473 keV, respectively, in the beam energy calibration of small accelerators. The high resolution optical microscopy method and X-ray fluorescence technique were used to characterize the targets deposited on various backing substrates. It was shown that the distribution of tungsten in the deposited layers is homogeneous and uniform. From the stoichiometric preservation of the method, the homogeneity and uniformity of the O distribution are deduced. The results indicate that the method used is a viable and effective technique for preparing high-quality nuclear targets, with significant implications for elastic backscattering experiments and other applications in nuclear physics.