Differential cross sections for the 11B(p,αo)8Be and 11B(p,p0)11B reactions, suitable for ion beam analysis

Boron depth profiling presents strong analytical challenges for all Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) techniques. In the past, both the 11B(p,αo)8Be (NRA) and the 11B(p,p0)11B (EBS) reactions have been proposed and they seem to be quite suitable for analytical purposes. Nonetheless, both reactions have not been adequately studied in literature (as far as data suitable for material analysis in the backscattering geometry are concerned). Moreover, the existing datasets are relatively discrepant. In an attempt to clarify the situation, both reactions were studied in the present work between 135° and 160°, in steps of 5°, for the proton beam energy range between 2.2 and 4.2 MeV, in steps of 50 keV. An attempt to explain the occurring results in the framework of the resonance mechanism is also presented, along with a comparison with previously published data.