IPERION HSIntegrating Platforms for the European Research Infrastructure ON Heritage Science

Ion Beam Induced Luminescence (IBIL)

Ion beam-induced luminescence (IBIL) is a technique for materials analysis. An ion beam is used to excite atoms in a target, and visible light emitted from the target material is analyzed with a fiber-optic spectrometer. IBIL produces a spectrum from a matter-particles interaction. This luminescence spectrum can reveal the presence of ultra-trace chemical elements that would not otherwise be detected by PIXE and PIGE analyses.

Fields of application

  • Cultural heritage

    film, manuscript, musical instrument, photo, textile

  • Natural heritage

    animal product, botanic collection, fossil, mineral, object in formalin, other, shell, skeleton, taxidermy collection

Materials

  • inorganic

    glass, stone, ceramic (clay, mud brick, terracotta, earthenware, stoneware, porcelain), pigment, gemstone

TOOLS

Archive image

Type and energy of particles: protons or deuterons from 1 to 4MeV or Alphas from 2 to 6MeV for Alphas. Beam size: down to 20µm. Single spot or mapping on areas up to cm²-sized area (max 20x20cm²). IBIL system: optical spectrometer (200-1000 nm). Resolution : 3 nm FWHM (100 µm entrance slit).