Nuclear Instrumentation and consumables – Planchet Sources

Sealed sources for calibrating surface contamination monitors. A wide range of products with different dimensions and radionuclides is available.

Sources designed for specific instruments and applications are available: calibration standards for Harwell Instrument monitors; photon emitting standards; tritium standards; standards for hand, foot, and whole body monitors.

Sources with dimensions and radionuclides other than those shown may also be available. Contact us for details.

These sources are available as well using the anodized manufacturing technique for sealed radiaoactive sources or the electroplated or evaporative deposition manufacturing technique.

Planchet sources available:

• Alpha sources AF-Type
• Beta sources BF Type
• Beta sources SB Type
• Alpha or Beta anodized type

Alpha Sources AF-Type

The majority of alpha standards listed are spectroscopy grade and are suitable for the most exacting research requirements as well as for routine counting room applications. Standards that emit radon gas, most notably Th-228 and Ra-226, should not be used in gross alpha applications. Most sources are prepared by electrodeposition of the desired nuclide on a mirror finish platinum surface foil and are fixed to the surface by diffusion-bonding. These sources exhibit narrow line widths, generally less than 20 keV FWHM for high specific activity nuclides such as Po-210 and Am-241. 

Beta sources BF Type

A wide range of beta emitting nuclides are offered for counting and educational uses. Certification of all BF Series sources includes both contained activity and 2p emission rate. Sources are traceable to NIST with ±2% to ±5% accuracy at the 99% confidence level. Source configurations are surface conductive on all surfaces to enable their use in windowless proportional counters.

Sr-90 sources produced by EZIP are certified as to the contained activity of the Sr-90 only. Sr-90, a beta emitter, is in equilibrium with the Y-90 daughter. Thus, a 37 kBq Sr-90 source also contains 37 kBq of Y-90. When comparing sources in similar geometries (i.e., similar backing, cover and source detector distance) good results should be obtained. Sr-90 has an average beta energy of 196 keV and Y-90 has an average beta energy of 934 keV, thus care must be taken when comparing sources of substantially different geometries since effects such as backscatter and window absorption must be considered.

Beta sources SB Type

Alpha/Beta Anodized Type