The IFAO Radiocarbon Laboratory: A Status Report

Radiocarbon ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 1157-1169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Quiles ◽  
Nagui Sabri Kamal ◽  
Mostafa Abd’el Fatah ◽  
Nadine Mounir
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Liquid Scintillation ◽  
High Standard ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Scintillation Counting ◽  
Status Report ◽  
Future Perspectives ◽  
Control Procedures ◽  
Material Studies ◽  
Ministry Of Higher Education

AbstractThe Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale (IFAO) in Cairo is one of the major French research centers abroad. It is placed under the aegis of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and manages an archaeometry department that features laboratories for three units of research: conservation, material studies, and radiocarbon (14C). The 14C laboratory was founded in 2006 to offer the possibility of 14C dating in Egypt. It is totally devoted to archaeological issues, uses the conventional liquid scintillation counting (LSC) method, and is equipped with two benzene synthesis lines. This paper reports on the performances and quality-control procedures of the IFAO 14C laboratory, both from the perspective of the chemical syntheses and from the radiometric measurements (background dispersion, standards, intercomparison programs). It shows how this lab occupies a privileged position to develop interdisciplinary studies of Egyptian chronology and to offer high-standard competencies to the IFAO scientific research programs. Finally, it raises the question of the future perspectives of the laboratory.

scholarly journals ARTEMIS, THE 14C AMS FACILITY OF THE LMC14 NATIONAL LABORATORY: A STATUS REPORT ON QUALITY CONTROL AND MICROSAMPLE PROCEDURES

Radiocarbon ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Christophe Moreau ◽  
Cyrielle Messager ◽  
Bernard Berthier ◽  
Stéphane Hain ◽  
Bruno Thellier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
National Laboratory ◽  
Status Report ◽  
Mural Paintings ◽  
Control Procedures ◽  
Accurate Procedure ◽  
Primary And Secondary Standards ◽  
Routine Procedures

ABSTRACT Quality control procedures have been developed at the Laboratoire de Mesure du Carbone 14 (LMC14) national laboratory throughout the years of operation. Routine procedures are applied to sample preparation depending on their composition and their size. The tuning of the ARTEMIS AMS facility, hosted by the LMC14 laboratory, uses an accurate procedure. A batch of unknown samples is measured with accompanying samples (primary and secondary standards and blanks), which give a powerful set of data to control the quality of each measurement. A homemade database has been created to store the sample information and study the evolution of the accompanying samples. The LMC14 laboratory participated in the Sixth International Radiocarbon Intercomparison, SIRI. The results are presented here, with statistical tests to assess the quality of the preparations and measurements done at the LMC14 national laboratory. To obtain a reliable radiocarbon (14C) age by AMS, 1 mg of sample is required in routine analysis. Recently, the LMC14 developed a new procedure dedicated to microsamples, allowing the size of samples to be reduced and contributing to opening 14C dating to materials that were previously unreachable. This new procedure has been successfully tested on valuable Cultural Heritage samples: lead white mural paintings.

Reproducibility of CO2 Absorption Method for measurement of Radiocarbon using a PARR Bomb and LSC

Radiocarbon ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1835-1842
Author(s):  
Irina Vagner ◽  
Carmen Varlam ◽  
Denisa Faurescu ◽  
Diana Bogdan ◽  
Ionut Faurescu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Sample Preparation ◽  
Liquid Scintillation ◽  
Scintillation Counting ◽  
Co2 Absorption ◽  
Absorption Method ◽  
Quality Control Material ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Control Material ◽  
Radioactivity Monitoring

ABSTRACTThe CO2 absorption and liquid scintillation counting (LSC) are methods used in radioactivity monitoring programs of nuclear facilities for 14C measurements due to high number of samples and relatively high expected level of 14C concentration. The paper describes the chemical sample preparation applied to a quality control material (IAEA-C3 Cellulose), in order to evaluate the reproducibility of CO2 absorption method for this type of material. Consequently, in the experiments we used two home-made scintillation cocktails, containing two amines, 2-methoxyethylamine (MEA) and 3-methoxypropyl amine (MPA), which detained CO2 as carbamates. Due to the fact that the material used in the dedicated experiments is cellulose (contained in all vegetable materials), the method can be considered as appropriate for 14C determination from biological and vegetable materials.

Studies and Application of Auger Monitoring System for Quality Control and Assurance of Al Bondpads

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Younan
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Sample Preparation ◽  
Monitoring System ◽  
Failure Mechanisms ◽  
Wafer Fabrication ◽  
Contamination Level ◽  
Auger Analysis ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Monitoring Frequency ◽  
Control Procedures

Abstract In wafer fabrication (Fab), Fluorine (F) based gases are used for Al bondpad opening process. Thus, even on a regular Al bondpad, there exists a low level of F contamination. However, the F level has to be controlled at a lower level. If the F level is higher than the control/spec limits, it could cause F-induced corrosion and Al-F defects, resulting in pad discoloration and NSOP problems. In our previous studies [1-5], the theories, characteristics, chemical and physical failure mechanisms and the root causes of the F-induced corrosion and Al-F defects on Al bondpads have been studied. In this paper, we further study F-induced corrosion and propose to establish an Auger monitoring system so as to monitor the F contamination level on Al bondpads in wafer fabrication. Auger monitoring frequency, sample preparation, wafer life, Auger analysis points, control/spec limits and OOC/OOS quality control procedures are also discussed.

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