Ion Beam Analysis Research Papers (original) (raw)

A new facility for 14C-AMS dating and for studies on cultural heritage by ion beam analysis has been put in operation at the University of Lecce, Lecce, Italy. The system is based on a 3 MV TandetronTM accelerator, manufactured by High... more

A new facility for 14C-AMS dating and for studies on cultural heritage by ion beam analysis has been put in operation at the University of Lecce, Lecce, Italy. The system is based on a 3 MV TandetronTM accelerator, manufactured by High Voltage Engineering Europa (HVEE). In the 14C-AMS system the three carbon isotopes are injected sequentially in the accelerator with cycle frequencies of up to 1 kHz. Performance tests have shown that the beams can be transported without any loss through the system. The 13C/12C precision of the system is 0.04% and no significant drift in the measured ratios is present.

ABSTRACT The third accelerator of the multi-ion irradiation platform JANNUS (Joint Accelerators for Nanosciences and NUclear Simulation), a 6SDH-2 Pelletron from National Electrostatic Corporation, Middleton was installed at Saclay in... more

ABSTRACT The third accelerator of the multi-ion irradiation platform JANNUS (Joint Accelerators for Nanosciences and NUclear Simulation), a 6SDH-2 Pelletron from National Electrostatic Corporation, Middleton was installed at Saclay in October 2009. The first triple beam irradiation combining Fe, He and H ion beams has been performed in March 2010. In the first part of this paper, we give a technical description of the triple beam facility, its performances and experimental capabilities. Typically, damage dose up to 100dpa can be reached in 10h irradiation with heavy ion beams, with or without simultaneous bombardment by protons, helium-4 ions or any other heavy ion beam. In the second part of this paper, we illustrate some IBA results obtained after irradiation and implantation experiments.

All the obsidians from the undisturbed Early Neolithic (Cardial ware phase I) layer of the Su Carroppu rock-shelter (Sardinia island) were studied. Their elemental composition and that of obsidians from the Monte Arci (Sardinia) volcanic... more

All the obsidians from the undisturbed Early Neolithic (Cardial ware phase I) layer of the Su Carroppu rock-shelter (Sardinia island) were studied. Their elemental composition and that of obsidians from the Monte Arci (Sardinia) volcanic complex was determined by ion beam analysis (PIXE). A comparison between the composition of Su Carroppu artefacts, analysed non-destructively, and that of Western Mediterranean analysed in the same conditions shows that the archaeological material belongs to the SA, SB2 and SC Monte Arci-types, to the exclusion of the SB1 type. The typological/technological study of this industry allowed us to reconstruct two chaînes opératoires, for the production of blades (using predominantly SC obsidians) and of flakes (based exclusively on SA and SB2 obsidians), respectively, but on the whole, assemblage blade/bladelet production was performed somewhat preferably with SA and SB2 types. Thus, in the earliest EN culture known on the island, ancient man had, for the making of its obsidian toolkit, a highly adaptive behaviour applied to the reduction of different useful obsidian sources.

Bonding GaAs to Si yields highly efficient tandem solar cells. However, the use of high temperatures in heterostructure formation and native oxides create defects that inhibit bonding. This work uses instead low temperature... more

Bonding GaAs to Si yields highly efficient tandem solar cells. However, the use of high temperatures in heterostructure formation and native
oxides create defects that inhibit bonding.
This work uses instead low temperature Nano-Bonding™(NB) [1], via Surface Energy Engineering (SEE), to create 2D Precursor Phases leading
to a high density of molecular cross-bonds and interphase formation. SEE is based on surface energy (SE) characterization via Three Liquid
Contact Angle Analysis (3LCAA), and on composition by Ion Beam Analysis (IBA), and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS).
IBA yields absolute O coverages while XPS measures the distribution of oxidation states.
After Nano-Bonding, Surface Acoustic Wave Microscopy (SAM) and Cross-Sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) image the bondedinterface.
SAM reveals that 98±1% of GaAs successfully nano-bonds to Si at T<220°C with compression and 48±1% bonds without compression.
TEM further reveals that both GaAs and Si are so reactive after SEE, that they oxidize very significantly without pressure applied in gaps found in
the 48±1% bonded interphase.
[1] Herbots et al. US Patents 6613677 (2003), 7,851,365 (2010), 9,018,077 (2015), 9,589,801 (2017), US patent pending (2021)
*SiO2 Innovates LLC
*AccuAngle Analytics LLC

The performance ofTi.3W.7 and Nb thin films as diffusion barriers for Au was investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The films were sputter deposited in Ar:N2 (70:30 vol%) or... more

The performance ofTi.3W.7 and Nb thin films as diffusion barriers for Au was investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The films were sputter deposited in Ar:N2 (70:30 vol%) or pure Ar on amorphous Si02. They were annealed in air at temperatures ranging from 250·C up to 750·C for several hours. In-depth profiles revealed an onset of oxidation of the barriers at 520·C for Nb and 600·C for TiW. Barrier oxidation and extensive diffusion could be correlated. Distinct diffusion behavior as a function of temperature was established between TiW and Nb. A Nb multilayer structure was found to provide the best reliability as the barrier and as the adhesion layer.

Range profiles of 50-and 100-keV Si+ ions implanted into Si(100) at room temperature with doses from 2 X 10'6 to 1 X 10' ions cm, and of 2 X 10' 50-keV Si+ ions cm in Si(100) preimplanted with 50-keV Si+ ions with doses from 5 X 10' to 1... more

Range profiles of 50-and 100-keV Si+ ions implanted into Si(100) at room temperature with doses from 2 X 10'6 to 1 X 10' ions cm, and of 2 X 10' 50-keV Si+ ions cm in Si(100) preimplanted with 50-keV Si+ ions with doses from 5 X 10' to 1 X 10' ions cm, have been studied with nuclear reaction techniques. The structural transformation of the samples was studied by Rutherford backscattering and chan-neling. The dependence of the range profile on the damage structure of the sample has been examined by comparing measured range profiles with those obtained in molecular-dynamics simulations. The dependence of the range profile on the polycrystalline sample structure is shown.

The heteroepitaxial growth of the new ternary, group-IV, semiconductor material, Si1-x-yGexCy on Si(100), has been investigated. The epitaxial quality of Si1-x-yGexCy is found to be inferior to that of Si1-xGex with similar Si/Ge... more

The heteroepitaxial growth of the new ternary, group-IV, semiconductor material, Si1-x-yGexCy on Si(100), has been investigated. The epitaxial quality of Si1-x-yGexCy is found to be inferior to that of Si1-xGex with similar Si/Ge concentration ratio, grown under identical conditions, and the quality deteriorates with increasing C fraction. Also, the surface roughness, as studied by tapping mode atomic force microscopy, increases with increasing C fraction as well as with increasing Ge fraction, suggesting a transition from Frank-van der Merve to Stranski-Krastanov type growth. We suggest that the very large mismatch between the average bond length in the Si1-x-yGexCy material, as determined by Vegard's law, and the equilibrium Si-C bond length, weakens the Si-C bonds and reduces the elastic range of the material, thus lowering the barrier for dislocation and stacking fault formation. The change in elasticity may also be responsible for the change in growth morphology, either directly by a lowered barrier for island formation or indirectly through the formation of defects. A decrease in Ge incorporation in the Si1-x-yGexCy films with increasing C incorporation suggests a repulsive Ge-C interaction. Moreover, we observe a C-rich, Ge-deficient precursor phase to SiC precipitates at a growth temperature of 560 degrees C, whereas at 450 degrees C no such phase can be observed. The temperature dependence of the precursor formation is consistent with C bulk diffusion. Infrared absorption measurements cannot be used to detect the precursor phase. Finally, the onset of epitaxial breakdown is discussed and an accurate and independent determination of the C fraction and its substitutionality is emphasized. (

An analytical methodology involving Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) was implemented to respectively characterize the composition and the thickness of silver leaves on gilt leather... more

An analytical methodology involving Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) was implemented to respectively characterize the composition and the thickness of silver leaves on gilt leather decors. These objects, ancestors of our wallpapers, are nowadays still difficult to date and their provenance is generally determined from stylistic studies. The initial aim of this study was to identify markers that could be correlated with the object provenance to help distinguishing the different gilt leathers workshops in Europe. The analytical methodology was validated on modern samples and applied to a corpus of 58 ancient gilt leathers from four countries. This study provided an assessment of the sensitivity of the ion beam techniques used, and highlighted the complexity of such analyses on thin silver leaves due to the different factors affecting them, and the composite nature of the object. Thus, the thicknesses calculated from the RBS analyses presented a great variability that seems to be related to the leaf characteristics, the manufacturing process and/or the life of the decor. Nevertheless, observations suggest that silver leaves coming from the Netherlands are thicker than the ones from Spain, Italy or France. Concerning the elemental composition, the results discarded previous hypotheses and the focus was made on gold and mercury trace elements, thus it was shown that leaves in Italian decors seem to have generally a low content of these two elements. Despite the large number of decor analyzed, the corpus should be expanded over to confirm the hypotheses raised by this research. Nevertheless the results gained from this work bring new light on the factors affecting thin metal leaves in general, which will be beneficial to all fields dealing with their analysis.

Accelerator-based analytical techniques using external beams are ideally fitted to the study of works of art because of their fully non-destructive character. However, accurate quantitative analysis is not straightforward, due in... more

Accelerator-based analytical techniques using external beams are ideally fitted to the study of works of art because of their fully non-destructive character. However, accurate quantitative analysis is not straightforward, due in particular to difficult beam monitoring. Significant improvements have been progressively made on the external beam line of the IBA facility of the Louvre museum in order to increase the

Quantitative analysis of major and minor elements in a heavy matrix with high relief requires a perfect knowledge of the geometry of irradiation and detection. We discuss in this paper, the contribution of these geometrical factors for... more

Quantitative analysis of major and minor elements in a heavy matrix with high relief requires a perfect knowledge of the geometry of irradiation and detection. We discuss in this paper, the contribution of these geometrical factors for the investigation of gold jewellery items which were studied with PIXE, RBS and NRA. The combination of all these techniques is often necessary

The new system for energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis has been installed at the Laboratory for Elemental Micro-Analysis (LEMA) at the University of Rijeka. Currently the key application of this new XRF system is in the... more

The new system for energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis has been installed at the Laboratory
for Elemental Micro-Analysis (LEMA) at the University of Rijeka. Currently the key application of
this new XRF system is in the field of environmental science, i.e. in the analysis of fine airborne particles.
In this work, results of initial multi-elemental analysis of PM2.5 fraction is reported for the first time in the
region of Rijeka, Croatia. Sampling was performed at the Rijeka City center, during a continuous 9-day
period in February/March 2012. All samples were collected on stretched Teflon filters in 12 h periods.
To check the reliability of the new XRF system, results of XRF analysis are compared with the results
obtained by the well-established Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) laboratory at Australian Nuclear Science and
Technology Organisation (ANSTO). The concentrations of H, Na, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe,
Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br and Pb were determined. In addition, black carbon was determined by Laser Integrating
Plate Method (LIPM). Very good agreement between XRF and IBA techniques is obtained for all elements
detected by both techniques. Elemental concentrations were correlated with the traffic volume and wind
speed and direction. The summary of our findings is presented and discussed in this paper.

This study aim to synthesize bioceramic from Paphia undulata shell by using dry technique in order to proposed new bioceramic for human bone repair application. The clam shells obtained from the fisherman of Kuala Perlis coast were turned... more

This study aim to synthesize bioceramic from Paphia undulata shell by using dry technique in order to proposed new bioceramic for human bone repair application. The clam shells obtained from the fisherman of Kuala Perlis coast were turned into a fine powder using an agate mortar. Since the clam shells contain high percentage of calcium carbonate, calcium carbonate powder turned to calcium oxide (CaO) by a calcinations process and the calcined powder then mix with water to form calcium hydroxide. The crystalline phases of the mixtures were greatly dependent on the mixing ratio (wt %) of the calcium hydroxide to phosphoric acid. In a wide mixing ratio range of 1:1.1-1:1.3 wt%, hydroxyapatite were synthesized and palletized. All samples were sintered to determine most suitable sintering temperature to fabricate bioceramics for bone substitute materials. The composition of the samples had been analyzed by using X-ray diffractometry (XRD) spectroscopy. In addition, the mechanical properties of samples were characterized using compression test. The result obtained show hydroxyapatite was successfully produced with mixing ratio Ca/P is 1:1.2 wt% at 750°C sintering temperature.

Analysis of the total surface energy γ T and its three components as established by the van Oss-Chaudhury-Good Theory (vOCG) is conducted via Three Liquid Contact Angle Analysis (3LCAA). γ T is correlated with the composition of the top... more

Analysis of the total surface energy γ T and its three components as established by the van Oss-Chaudhury-Good Theory (vOCG) is conducted via Three Liquid Contact Angle Analysis (3LCAA). γ T is correlated with the composition of the top monolayers (ML) obtained from High-Resolution Ion Beam Analysis (HR-IBA). Control of γ T enables surface engineering for wafer bonding (Nano-Bonding TM) and/or epitaxial growth. Native oxides on boron-doped p-Si(100) are found to average γ T of 53 ± 1.4 mJ/m 2) and are always hydrophilic. An HF in methanol or aqueous HF etch for 60 s always renders Si(100) hydrophobic. Its γ T decreases by 20% to 44 ± 3 mJ/m 2 in HF in methanol etch and by 10% to 48 ± 3 mJ/m 2 in aqueous HF. On the contrary, GaAs(100) native oxides are found to always be hydrophobic. Tellurium n+-doped GaAs(100) yields an average of γ T of 37 ± 2 mJ/m 2 , 96% of which is due to the Lifshitz-Van der Waals molecular interactions (γ LW = 36 ± 1 mJ/m 2). However, hydrophobic GaAs(100) can be made highly hydrophilic. After etching, γ T increases by almost 50% to 66 ± 1.4 mJ/m 2. 3LCAA shows that the γ T increase is due to electron acceptor and donor interactions, while the Lifshitz-van der Waals energy γ LW remains constant. IBA combining the 3.039 ± 0.01 MeV oxygen nuclear resonance with <111> channeling, shows that oxygen on Si(100) decreases by 10% after aqueous HF etching, from 13.3 ± 0.3 monolayers (ML) to 11.8 ± 0.4 ML 1 hour after etch.Te-doped GaAs(100) exhibits consistent oxygen coverage of 7.2 ± 1.4 ML, decreasing by 50% after etching to a highly hydrophilic surface with 3.6 ± 0.2 oxygen ML. IBA shows that etching does not modify the GaAs surface stoichiometry to within 1%. Combining 3LCAA with HR-IBA provides a quantitative metrology to measure how GaAs and Si surfaces can be altered to a different hydroaffinity and surface termination.

Summary ANSTO has been sampling, characterising and sourcing fine particles (PM2.5) in key urban and industrial sites in NSW, twice a week, since 1991. Accelerator based ion beam analysis techniques have been used to quantify elemental... more

Summary ANSTO has been sampling, characterising and sourcing fine particles (PM2.5) in key urban and industrial sites in NSW, twice a week, since 1991. Accelerator based ion beam analysis techniques have been used to quantify elemental components in the ambient aerosol collected for up to 25 different chemical species. One of the main constituents of atmospheric fine particles is elemental

This paper discusses a methodology that involves the use of x‐ray fluorescence (XRF), high energy particle induced x‐ray emission (HE‐PIXE) and particle induced γ‐ray emission (HE‐PIGE) spectroscopies for the study of historic denars... more

This paper discusses a methodology that involves the use of x‐ray fluorescence (XRF), high energy particle induced x‐ray emission (HE‐PIXE) and particle induced γ‐ray emission (HE‐PIGE) spectroscopies for the study of historic denars with the aim of describing the advantages and limitations of each technique as well as arriving at an archaeometric interpretation of the compositions. Thirty nine medieval Polish denars minted by Kings Bolesław the Brave and Mieszko II Lambert were analysed for their elemental composition. While XRF is limited to the analysis of the material close to the object´s surface, high energy ion beam analysis was used to obtain information from Cu at a relatively larger depth. The major elements detected were Ag and Cu, while the minor elements were Pb, Au, Bi, and Zn. An evaluation of the results obtained with the different techniques shows that the content of Cu near the surface is different from the bulk composition of the coins. The obtained elemental composition was used to proliferate the understanding of chronological changes in the production of early medieval Polish denars.

Differentiation of treated and non-treated gemstones is a chief concern for major jewellery import companies. Low-quality corundum specimens coming from Asia appear to be often treated with heat, BeO or flux in order to enhance their... more

Differentiation of treated and non-treated gemstones is a chief concern for major jewellery import companies. Low-quality corundum specimens coming from Asia appear to be often treated with heat, BeO or flux in order to enhance their properties as precious minerals. A set of corundum samples, rubies and sapphires from different origins, both treated and non-treated has been analysed at the Centre Européen d’Archéométrie, with ion-beam-induced luminescence (IBIL) and other complementary techniques such as Raman, proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE), and proton-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE). IBIL, also known as ionoluminescence, has been used before to detect impurities or defects inside synthetic materials and natural minerals; its use for the discrimination of gemstone simulants or synthetic analogues has been elsewhere discussed (Cavenago-Bignami Moneta, Gemología, Tomo I Piedras preciosas, perlas, corales, marfil. Ediciones Omega, Barcelona, 1991). PIXE has been frequently applied in the archaeometric field for material characterisation and provenance studies of minerals (Hughes, Ruby & sapphire. RWH Publishing, Fallbrook, 1997; Calvo del Castillo et al., Anal Bioanal Chem 387:869–878, 2007; Calligaro et al., NIM-B 189:320–327, 2002) and PIGE complements the elemental analysis by detecting light elements in these materials such as—and lighter than—sodium that cannot be identified with the PIXE technique (Sanchez et al., NIM-B 130:682–686, 1997; Emmett et al., Gems Gemology 39:84–135, 2003). The micro-Raman technique has also been used complementarily to ion beam analysis techniques for mineral characterisation (Novak et al., Appl Surf Sci 231–232:917–920, 2004). The aim of this study is to provide new means for systematic analysis of corundum gemstone-quality mineral, alternative to the traditional gemmologic methods; for this purpose, a Spanish jewellery import company supplied us with a number of natural corundum samples coming from different places (part of them treated as explained above). The PIXE elemental concentrations of the samples showed large quantities of calcium and lead in some cases that can be linked to treatment with fluxes or lead oxide. The plot of the chromium and iron concentration grouped the samples in various aggregates that corresponded to the different types of corundum analysed. Micro-Raman complemented the PIXE analysis corroborating the presence of lead oxides but the use of the PIGE technique was not successful for the detection of beryllium due to the low cross section of the nuclear reaction chosen for its identification. IBIL was capable of distinguishing between treated and non-treated samples of the same type based on the luminescent features of the materials.

Hydrocarbon films were prepared by electron cyclotron resonance plasma deposition from different hydrocarbon source gases at varying ion energies. The source gases used were the saturated hydrocarbons CH4, C2H6, C3H8, C4H10 (n- and iso-)... more

Hydrocarbon films were prepared by electron cyclotron resonance plasma deposition from different hydrocarbon source gases at varying ion energies. The source gases used were the saturated hydrocarbons CH4, C2H6, C3H8, C4H10 (n- and iso-) and the unsaturated hydrocarbons C2H4 and C2H2 as well as mixtures of these gases with hydrogen. Film deposition was analyzed in situ by real-time ellipsometry, and the resulting films ex situ by ion-beam analysis. On the basis of the large range of deposition parameters investigated, the correlation between hydrocarbon source gas, deposition parameters, and film properties was determined. The film properties are found to be influenced over a wide range not only by the energy of the impinging ions, but also by the choice of source gas. This is in contrast to a widely accepted study where no dependence of the film properties on the source gas was observed, this being ascribed to a "lost-memory effect." A strong correlation was found between the hydrogen content of the films and the film properties. This strong correlation is explained on the basis of the random-covalent-network model.

Elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) with an absorber foil using a 4.2MeV 7Li2+ beam was utilized for evaluation of hydrogen depth profiles. Since recoil cross-sections when using Li ions as projectiles are not well known, the energy... more

Elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) with an absorber foil using a 4.2MeV 7Li2+ beam was utilized for evaluation of hydrogen depth profiles. Since recoil cross-sections when using Li ions as projectiles are not well known, the energy dependent ratio between the experimental yield and the yield calculated using the Rutherford recoil cross-section was obtained from an ERDA spectrum of a

Massive demand from photovoltaic, OLED, touchscreen, and the electronic paper industry is fueling production and commercial availability of various conductive polymers. From basic Polyaniline and PEDOT:PSS solutions to proprietary EBL... more

Massive demand from photovoltaic, OLED, touchscreen, and the electronic paper industry is fueling production and commercial availability of various conductive polymers. From basic Polyaniline and PEDOT:PSS solutions to proprietary EBL formulations, the unique properties of these materials is facilitating reduced time and cost of traditional FIB sample preparation, and enabling new FIB applications. We will review some of commercially available conductive polymers, compare them with other conductive coatings, and present examples of practical FIB applications.

The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of carbon incorporation upon thermal oxidation of Si1−x Ge x alloys and its role on strain compensation in Si1−x Ge x alloys. Si1−x Ge x and Si1−x−y Ge x C y alloys on Si(100) are grown... more

The goal of this study is to investigate the effect of carbon incorporation upon thermal oxidation of Si1−x Ge x alloys and its role on strain compensation in Si1−x Ge x alloys. Si1−x Ge x and Si1−x−y Ge x C y alloys on Si(100) are grown by combined ion and molecular beam deposition and are then oxidized at 1000 °C in a dry oxygen ambient for two h. The thickness and the composition of all samples before and after oxidation are measured by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) combined with ion channeling at 2.0 MeV and carbon nuclear resonance analysis at 4.3 MeV using 4He++ ions. In agreement with previously reported results of dry oxidation on Si1−x Ge x thin films, 2.0 MeV RBS analysis shows that a layer of SiO2 is formed on the top surface of both Si1−x Ge x and Si1−x−y Ge x C y thin films, while Ge segregates towards the top surface and at the SiO2/Si1−x Ge x and SiO2/Si1−x−y Ge x C y interfaces. However, it is observed for the first time that dry oxidation rates of Si1−x Ge x thin films decrease with increasing Ge fraction x for x≳0.20 and with increasing minimum yield. Ion channeling analysis and strain measurements indicate that the incorporation of C rather than the amount of C itself affects the dry oxidation mechanism because of its strong influence on film strain and crystalline quality. These results are discussed in conjunction with observations by secondary ion mass spectrometry, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, and tapping mode atomic force microscopy.

Lapis lazuli is one of the oldest precious stone, being used for glyptic as early as 7,000 years ago: jewels, amulets, seals, and inlays are examples of objects produced using this material. Only a few sources of lapis lazuli exist in the... more

Lapis lazuli is one of the oldest precious stone, being used for glyptic as early as 7,000 years ago: jewels, amulets, seals, and inlays are examples of objects produced using this material. Only a few sources of lapis lazuli exist in the world due to the low probability of geological conditions in which it can form, so that the possibility to associate the raw material to man-made objects helps to reconstruct trade routes. Since art objects produced using lapis lazuli are valuable, only nondestructive investigations can be carried out to identify the provenance of the raw materials. Ionoluminescence (IL) is a good candidate for this task. Similar to cathodoluminescence (CL), IL consists in the collection of luminescence spectra induced by megaelectronvolt ion (usually protons) irradiation. The main advantage of IL consists in the possibility of working in air while measuring simultaneously the composition of major and trace elements by means of complementary ion beam analysis techniques like particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) or particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE). In the present work, a systematic study of the luminescence properties of lapis lazuli under charged particle irradiation is reported. In the first phase, a multitechnique approach was adopted (CL, scanning electron microscopy with microanalysis, micro-Raman) to characterize luminescent minerals. This characterization was propaedeutic for IL/PIXE/PIGE measurements carried out on significant areas selected on the basis of results obtained previously. Criteria to identify provenance of lapis lazuli from four of the main sources (Afghanistan, Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, Chile, and Siberia) were proposed.