Development of a sample chamber with humidity control for an atmospheric positron probe microanalyzer

In order to perform positron lifetime measurements on thin films under atmospheric conditions, a slow positron microbeam was extracted into air using silicon nitride thin films (30 nm and 200 nm) as a vacuum window. Even the thinner window (30 nm) was found to reliably withstand a differential pressure of 1 atm under various stress tests. By placing the sample in an enclosed chamber through which gas with a fixed, controllable relative humidity (RH) was continuously passed, the RH dependence of the ortho-positronium lifetime for bulk fused silica was examined.