1、Designation: E 520 08Standard Practice forDescribing Photomultiplier Detectors in Emission andAbsorption Spectrometry1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 520; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the ye
2、ar of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This practice covers photomultiplier properties that areessential to their judicious selection and use of photo
3、multipli-ers in emission and absorption spectrometry. Descriptions ofthese properties can be found in the following sections:SectionStructural Features 4General 4.1External Structure 4.2Internal Structure 4.3Electrical Properties 5General 5.1Optical-Electronic Characteristics of the Photocathode 5.2
4、Current Amplification 5.3Signal Nature 5.4Dark Current 5.5Noise Nature 5.6Photomultiplier as a Component in an Electrical Circuit 5.7Precautions and Problems 6General 6.1Fatigue and Hysteresis Effects 6.2Illumination of Photocathode 6.3Gas Leakage 6.4Recommendations on Important Selection Criteria 7
5、1.2 Radiation in the frequency range common to analyticalemission and absorption spectrometry is detected by photomul-tipliers presently to the exclusion of most other transducers.Detection limits, analytical sensitivity, and accuracy depend onthe characteristics of these current-amplifying detector
6、s as wellas other factors in the system.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory
7、limitations prior to use.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E 135 Terminology Relating to Analytical Chemistry forMetals, Ores, and Related Materials3. Terminology3.1 DefinitionsFor terminology relating to detectors referto Terminology E 135.3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard
8、:3.2.1 solar blind, nphotocathode of photomultiplier tubedoes not respond to wavelengths on the high side.3.2.1.1 DiscussionIn general, solar blind photomultipliertubes used in atomic emission spectrometry transmit radiationbelow about 300 nm and do not transmit wavelengths above300 nm.4. Structural
9、 Features4.1 GeneralThe external structure and dimensions, aswell as the internal structure and electrical properties, can besignificant in the selection of a photomultiplier.4.2 External StructureThe external structure consists ofenvelope configurations, window materials, electrical contactsthrough
10、 the glass-wall envelopes, and exterior housing.4.2.1 Envelope ConfigurationsGlass envelope shapes anddimensions are available in an abundant variety. At present,two envelope configurations are common, the end-on (orhead-on) and side-on types (see Fig. 1).4.2.2 Window MaterialsVarious window materia
11、ls, suchas glass, quartz and quartz-like materials, sapphire, magnesiumfluoride, and cleaved lithium fluoride, cover the ranges ofspectral transmission essential to efficient detection in spectro-metric applications. Window cross sections for the end-on typephotomultipliers include plano-plano, plan
12、o-concave,convexo-concave forms, and a hemispherical form for thecollection of 2-p radians of light flux.4.2.3 Electrical ConnectionsStandard pin bases, flying-leads, or potted pin bases are available to facilitate the locationof a photomultiplier, or for the use of a photomultiplier at lowtemperatu
13、res. TFE-fluorocarbon receptacles for pin-base typesare recommended to minimize the current leakage betweenpins.4.2.4 HousingThe housing for a photomultiplier shouldbe “light tight.” Light leaks into a housing or monochromatorfrom fluorescent lamps are particularly bad noise sourceswhich can be read
14、ily detected with an oscilloscope adjusted for1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E01 on AnalyticalChemistry for Metals, Ores and Related Materials and is the direct responsibility ofSubcommittee E01.20 on Fundamental Practices.Current edition approved May 1, 2008. Published M
15、ay 2008. Originallyapproved in 1998. Last previous edition approved in 2003 as E 520 98 (2003).2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Documen
16、t Summary page onthe ASTM website.1Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.twice the power line frequency. A mu-metal housing or shieldis recommended to diminish stray magnetic field interferenceswith the internal focus on ele
17、ctron trajectories between tubeelements.4.3 Internal StructureThe internal structure consists ofarrangements of cathode, dynodes, and anodes.4.3.1 PhotocathodeA typical photomultiplier of theend-on configuration possesses a semitransparent to opaquelayer of photoemissive material that is deposited o
18、n the innersurface of the window segment in an evacuated glass envelope.In the side-on window types, the cathode layer is on a reflectivesubstrate within the evacuated tube or on the inner surface ofthe window.4.3.2 Dynodes and AnodeSecondary-electron multiplica-tion systems are designed so that the
19、 electrons strike a dynodeat a region where the electric field is directed away from thesurface and toward the next dynode. Six of these configurationsare shown in Fig. 2. Ordinarily a photomultiplier uses from 4dynodes to 16 dynodes. There are several different configura-tions of anodes including m
20、ultianodes and cross wire anodesfor position sensitivity.4.3.3 Rigidness of Structural ComponentsThe standardstructural components generally will not endure exceptionalmechanical shocks. However, specifically constructed photo-multipliers (ruggedized) that are resistant to damage by me-chanical shoc
21、k and stress are available for special applications,such as geophysical uses or in mobile laboratories.5. Electrical Properties5.1 GeneralThe electrical properties of a photomultiplierare a complex function of the cathode, dynodes, and thevoltage divider bridge used for gain control.5.2 Optical-Elec
22、tronic Characteristics of thePhotocathodeElectrons are ejected into a vacuum from theconduction bands of semiconducting or conducting materials ifthe surface of the material is exposed to electromagneticradiation having a photon energy higher than that required bythe photoelectric work-function thre
23、shold. The number ofelectrons emitted per incident photon, that is, the quantumefficiency, is likely to be less than unity and typically less than0.3.5.2.1 Spectral ResponseThe spectral response of a pho-tocathode is the relative rate of photoelectron production as afunction of the wavelength of the
24、 incident radiation of constantflux density and solid angle. Spectral response is measured atthe cathode with a simple anode or at the anode of asecondary-electron photomultiplier. Usually, this wavelength-dependent response is expressed in amperes per watt at anode.5.2.1.1 Spectral response curves
25、for several common stan-dard cathode-types are shown in Fig. 3. The S-number is astandard industrial reference number for a given cathode typeand spectral response. Some of the common cathode surfacecompositions are listed below. Semiconductive photocathodes,for example, GaAs(Cs) and InGaAs(Cs), as
26、well as red-enhanced multialkali photocathodes (S-25) are also available.A “solar blind” response cathode of CsI, not shown in Fig. 3,FIG. 1 Envelope ConfigurationsFIG. 2 Electrostatic Dynode StructuresE520082provides a low-noise signal in the 160-nm to 300-nm region ofthe spectrum. Intensity measur
27、ements at wavelengths below100 nm can be made with a windowless, gold-cathode photo-multiplier.Examples of Cathode SurfacesResponse Type Designation Window Cathode SurfaceS-1 Lime Glass Ag-O-Cs(Reflection)S-5 UltravioletTransmitting GlassSb-Cs(Reflection)S-11 Lime Glass Sb-Cs(Semitransparent)S-13 Fu
28、sed Silica Sb-Cs(Semitransparent)S-20 Lime Glass Sb-Na-K-Cs(Semitransparent)5.3 Current AmplificationThe feeble photoelectron cur-rent generated at the cathode is increased to a convenientlymeasurable level by a secondary electron multiplication sys-tem. The mechanism for electron multiplication sim
29、ply de-pends on the principle that the collision of an energetic electronwith a low work-function surface (dynode) will cause theejection of several secondary electrons. Thus, a primaryphotoelectron that is directed by an electrostatic field andthrough an accelerating voltage to the first tube dynod
30、e willeffectively be amplified by a factor equal to the number ofsecondary electrons ejected from the single collision.5.3.1 Gain per StageThe amplification factor or gainproduced at a dynode stage depends both on the primaryelectron energy and the work function of the material used forthe dynode su
31、rface. Most often dynode surfaces are Cs-Sb orBe-O composites on Cu/Be or Ni substrates. The gain perdynode stage generally is purposely limited.5.3.2 Overall GainAseries of dynodes, arranged so that astepwise amplification of electrons from a photocathode oc-curs, constitutes a total secondary elec
32、tron multiplicationsystem. Ordinarily, the number of dynodes employed in aphotomultiplier ranges from 4 to 16. The overall gain for asystem, G, is related to the mean gain per stage, g, and thenumber of dynode stages, n, by the equation G = gn. Overallgains in the order of 106can be achieved easily.
33、5.3.3 Gain Control (Voltage-Divider Bridge)Since, for agiven photomultiplier the cathode and dynode surface materi-als and arrangement are fixed, the only practical means tochange the overall gain is to control the voltages applied to theindividual tube elements. This control is accomplished byadjus
34、ting the voltage that is furnished by a high-voltage supplyand that is imposed across a voltage-divider bridge (see Fig. 4).Selection of proper resistance values and the configuration forthe voltage-divider bridge ultimately determine whether agiven photomultiplier will function with stability and l
35、inearityin a certain application. Operational stability is determined bythe stability of the high voltage supplied to the divider-bridgeby the relative anode and divider-bridge currents and by thestability of each dynode voltage as determined by the divider-bridge.5.3.3.1 To a first approximation, t
36、he error in the gain variesproportionately to the error in the applied high voltage multi-plied by the number of stages. Therefore, for a ten-stage tube,a gain stability of 61 % is attained with a power-supplyvoltage stability of 6 0.1 %.5.3.3.2 For a tube stability of 1 %, the current drawn fromthe
37、 heaviest loaded stage must be less than 1 % of the totalcurrent through the voltage divider bridge. For most spectro-scopic applications, a bridge current of about 0.5 mA to 1 mAis sufficient.5.3.3.3 The value of R1(see Fig. 4) is set to give a voltagebetween the cathode and the first dynode as rec
38、ommended bythe manufacturer. Resistors R2, R3Rn2,Rn1, Rn, and Rn+1may be graded to give interstage voltages which are appropri-ate to the required peak current.With higher interstage voltagesat the output end of the tube, higher peak currents can bedrawn, but average currents above 1 mA are not norm
39、allyrecommended. The value selected for decoupling-capacitors,C, which serve to prevent sudden significant interstage voltagechanges between the last few dynodes, is dependent on thesignal frequency. Typically, the capacitance, C, is about twonanofarads (nF). In Fig. 4, A can be a load resistor (1 M
40、V to 10MV) or the input impedance to a current-measuring device.5.3.3.4 The overall gain of a photomultiplier varies in anonlinear fashion with the overall voltage applied to the dividerbridge as shown in Fig. 5.5.3.4 Linearity of ResponseA photomultiplier is capableof providing a linear response to
41、 the radiant input signal overseveral orders of magnitude. Usually, the dynamic range at thephotomultiplier exceeds the range capability of the commonlinear voltage amplifiers used in measuring circuits.5.3.5 Anode SaturationAs the light intensity impingingon a photocathode is increased, an intensit
42、y level is reached,FIG. 3 Spectral Response Curves for Several Cathode TypesFIG. 4 Voltage-Divider BridgeE520083above which the anode current will no longer increase. Acurrent-density saturation at the anode, or anode saturation, isresponsible for this effect. A photomultiplier should never beoperat
43、ed at anode saturation conditions nor in the nonlinearresponse region approaching saturation because of possibledamage to the tube.5.4 Signal NatureThe current through a photomultiplier iscomposed of discrete charge carriers. Each effective photoelec-tron is randomly emitted from the cathode and tra
44、vels adistance to the first dynode where a small packet of electronsis generated. This packet of electrons then travels to the nextdynode where yet a larger packet of electrons is produced, andthis process continues repetitively until a final large packet ofelectrons reaches the anode to produce a m
45、easurable electricalimpulse. Therefore, the true signal output of a multiplier is atrain of pulses that occur during an interval of photocathodeillumination. These pulse amplitudes are randomly distributedand follow Poisson statistics. This is a characteristic ofso-called “shot-effect” noise.5.5 Dar
46、k CurrentThermal emission of electrons from thecathode and dynodes, ion feed-back, and field emission, alongwith internal leakage currents, furnish an anode current thatexists even when the cathode is not illuminated. This totalcurrent is referred to as dark current.5.5.1 Spectral Response and Dark
47、CurrentIn general,those cathode surfaces which provide extended red responsehave both low photoelectric-work functions and lowthermionic-work functions. Therefore, higher dark currents canbe expected for tubes with red-sensitive cathodes. However,the S-20 surface, which has much better red response
48、andhigher quantum efficiency than the S-11 surface, has a thermi-onic emission level that is equal to or lower than that of theS-11.5.5.2 Cathode SizeThe dark current from thermionicelectrons is directly proportional to the area of photocathodeviewed by the first dynode.5.5.3 Internal AperturesSome
49、photomultipliers are pro-vided with a defining aperture plane (or plate) between thephotocathode and the first dynode. The target plate defines anaperture that limits the area of the cathode viewed by the firstdynode and effectively reduces dark current.5.5.4 Refrigeration of PhotocathodesDark current fromS-1-type photomultipliers can be reduced considerably bycooling the photocathode. The S-1 dark current is reduced byan approximate factor of ten for each 20 K temperaturedecrease.5.6 Noise NatureSince noise power is an additive circuitproperty, a co
