Preparation and characterization of a sandwiched target of enriched neodymium oxide

The preparation of enriched neodymium oxide targets sandwiched between two carbon foils is discussed. The concentration of oxygen in a prepared target was measured using low-angle Rutherford scattering and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis (ERDA) technique. The analysis indicated that the prepared target had 31 at.% of oxygen as compared to the expected concentration of 60 at.% relative to neodymium. It shows that neodymium oxide loses oxygen during evaporation.