Analysis of Cu and O in high-Tc superconductors by 7–9 MeV protons

The use of proton-induced γ-ray emission for the simultaneous analysis of Cu and O in high-T_c superconductors is demonstrated. Utilizing 7–9 MeV protons, the ratio of O relative to Cu can be determined reliably to a few percent accuracy in homogeneous bulk samples and films thicker than 130 μm using standard bulk samples of O and Cu. Results of the present method are compared with those of the analysis of YBa₂Cu₃O_7xdone by the Rutherford scattering of particles and the non-Rutherford scattering through the ¹⁶O(p,p₀)¹⁶O reaction.