Neutron activation methods for boron distribution investigation in pure materials

Main characteristics of present-day neutron activation methods for boron distribution investigation in pure materials using α-particle detection from 10B(n,α)7Li thermal neutron base - nuclear reaction are considered. Peculiarities and possibilities of layer-by-layer (nondestructive and combined) deep investigation techniques and solid-state trace detector technique are estimated. Their combined application allows to study surface distributions with thickness from hundredths up to micrometer tens and hudreds with boron detection limit from 1016 cm-3, or up to 5 x 1012 cm-2