N2 buffer gas stopping power for ions in LPP x-ray source

This work addresses the use of N₂ Buffer gas stopping power for ions in Laser Produced Plasma (LPP) x-ray source. Clear evidence of the damping effect of the ejected ions' energy and trajectories were observed. The use of buffer gas appeared to be successfully reducing their range and effectively prevent their reaching the optics inside the interaction chamber. The cross-check analysis using both Mica crystal spectrometer on the spectra of the emitted intensities from x-ray radiation and the matter Monte Carlo / (SRIM) code agrees with this and supports the idea that the use of buffer gas can give a significant decrease in the ions damaging effect. This in turns suggest the possibility of employing such technique in high volume manufacturing (HVM) or other application such as the Hadron therapy where it makes the source more feasible by offering longer running times with less damaging effect of these hot ions without the need for maintenance or down time.