Position-sensitive foil thickness measurements using alpha energy loss

Alpha energy loss is a common tool used to measure target thicknesses. However, these measurements are often made without position information, either forfeiting knowledge of material uniformity and local thickness or requiring a prohibitive number of measurements per target to partially recover this information. In consideration, a method for measuring position-dependent thickness was developed using a position-sensitive dual-axis duo-lateral (DADL) silicon detector. With a single measurement, thicknesses across the entire face of a material can be measured to a sub-mm position resolution. Several examples will be presented using targets with varying characteristics, demonstrating the precision, accuracy, and versatility of the technique.