RADIONUCLIDE DATING AND TRACE-ELEMENT ANALYSIS BY ACCELERATOR MASS-SPECTROMETRY

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is being used for both radionuclide dating and stable isotope trace element determination with limits of high sensitivity. The areas of applications of radionuclide AMS include oceanography, terrestrial studies, glaciology, hydrology, environmental studies, meterology, archaeology, anthropology, analysis of crude oils, biomedical and materials sciences, etc. The techniques and applications of radionuclide AMS are reviewed. The applications of stable element AMS include the measurements of trace impurities in electronic and other materials. The techniques and applications of stable element AMS are discussed with particular emphasis on electronic materials such as Si, GaAs, and HgCdTe. The design of the University of North Texas stable element AMS facility built in collaboration with Texas Instruments Incorporated is discussed.