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A high-quality multilayer structure characterization method based on X-ray fluorescence and Monte Carlo simulation

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Abstract

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a well known nondestructive technique. It is also applied to multilayer characterization, due to its possibility of estimating both composition and thickness of the layers. Several kinds of cultural heritage samples can be considered as a complex multilayer, such as paintings or decorated objects or some types of metallic samples. Furthermore, they often have rough surfaces and this makes a precise determination of the structure and composition harder. The standard quantitative XRF approach does not take into account this aspect. In this paper, we propose a novel approach based on a combined use of X-ray measurements performed with a polychromatic beam and Monte Carlo simulations. All the information contained in an X-ray spectrum is used. This approach allows obtaining a very good estimation of the sample contents both in terms of chemical elements and material thickness, and in this sense, represents an improvement of the possibility of XRF measurements. Some examples will be examined and discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche, Scienze della Comunicazione e Ingegneria dell’Informazione, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Viale Mancini 5, 07100, Sassari, Italy

    Antonio Brunetti & Bruno Golosio

  2. Dipartimento di Storia, Scienze dell’Uomo e della Formazione, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Zanfarino, 62, 07100, Sassari, Italy

    Maria Grazia Melis

  3. Dipartimento di Agraria and Nucleo di Ricerca sulla Desertificazione, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Via Enrico De Nicola 9, 07100, Sassari, Italy

    Stefania Mura

Authors
  1. Antonio Brunetti
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  2. Bruno Golosio
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  3. Maria Grazia Melis
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  4. Stefania Mura
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Correspondence to Antonio Brunetti.

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Brunetti, A., Golosio, B., Melis, M.G. et al. A high-quality multilayer structure characterization method based on X-ray fluorescence and Monte Carlo simulation. Appl. Phys. A 118, 497–504 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8838-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-014-8838-9

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