Thickness measurement of coated Ni on brass plate using Kα/Kβ ratio by XRF spectrometry

Relative intensity of Cu and Ni K lines in the x-ray spectrum of brass plates coated with Ni of different thicknesses was measured by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. The obtained results show that relative intensities, Kα/Kβ, of Cu and Ni K lines are increasing functions of Ni layer thickness. Thereby, these relative intensities can be used to measure the thickness of Ni layer on brass plate in the range of fractions of one to several micrometers. This method can also be used to measure the thickness of other coating materials. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.