Search

Sterile neutrinos in the keV mass range present a viable candidate for dark matter. They can be detected through single β -decay, where they cause small spectral distortions. The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment aims to search for keV-scale sterile neutrinos with high sensitivity. To achieve this, the KATRIN beamline will be equipped with a novel multi-pixel silicon drift detector focal plane array named TRISTAN. In this study, we present the performance of a TRISTAN detector module, a component of the eventual 9-module system. Our investigation encompasses spectroscopic aspects such as noise performance, energy resolution, linearity, and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth and planetary sciences require extensive microanalyses to quantify most common major and minor elements O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe and Ni in minerals/rocks. With O usually calculated, this is frequently done with expensive electron probe X-ray microanalyzer using a wavelength dispersive method (WDS), and much less so with expensive ground-based scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). Both instruments are not readily accessible to many scientists though. Here we selected eight natural minerals, containing those elements to various amounts, to test the performance of an economical desktop SEM attached with an EDS consisting of just one 10 mm2 silicon drift detector (SDD). The compositions of the minerals were established by extensive electron probe X-ray microanalyses (EPMA)-WDS conducted under routine analytical conditions. They were used to evaluate the performance of the desktop SEM/SDD-EDS system. The examination shows that under modest analytical conditions it can generate accurate results for those elements, with detection limits (∼0.1 wt%) much comparable to routine WDS analyses. Therefore, economical desktop SEM/SDD-EDS system can be an affordable and widely-accessible instrument for extensive and accurate quantification of those most common major and minor elements in minerals/rocks.

The Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) with square structure is often used in pixel-type SDD arrays to reduce the dead region considerably and to improve the detector performance significantly. Usually, the anode is located in the center of the active region of the SDD with square structure (square-SDD), but the different anode positions in the square-SDD active area are also allowed. In order to explore the effect on device performance when the anode is located at different positions in the square-SDD active region, we designed two different types of square-SDD in this work, where the anode is located either in the center (SDD-1) or at the edge (SDD-2) of its active region. The simulation results of current density and potential distribution show that SDD-1 and SDD-2 have both formed a good electron drift path to make the anode collect electrons. The experimental results of device performance at the temperature range from −60 °C to 60 °C show that the anode current of the two fabricated SDDs both decreased with the decrease of temperature, but their voltage divider characteristics exhibited high stability resistance value and low temperature coefficient, thereby indicating that they could both provide corresponding continuous and uniform electric field at different temperatures. Finally, SDD-1 and SDD-2 have energy resolutions of 248 and 257 eV corresponding to the 5.9 keV photon peak of the Fe-55 radioactive source, respectively. Our experimental results demonstrate that there is no significant impact on the device performance irrespective of the anode positions in the square-SDD devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the IDeF-X HDBD integrated circuit, our latest 32-channel application specified integrated circuit devoted to semiconductor photon counting X-ray detectors, designed to read charges ranging from −40 to 40 fC. The chip reaches an equivalent noise charge (ENC) floor of 17 electrons rms and is optimized for low input capacitance (< 10 pF). Each channel is based on an optimized charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) followed by a CR-RC2 filter and a peak detector with a power consumption of $850 ~\mu \text{W}$ /channel. Gain and shaping times are tunable. This circuit has been designed with radiation mitigation techniques to meet space application requirements. This ASIC can read either cadmium telluride or silicon detectors for imaging-spectroscopy applications. An energy resolution of 230-eV FHWM at 6 keV and a low-level threshold of 1.2 keV were demonstrated with a single pixel silicon drift detector connected to one channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Nuclear Microprobe Laboratory of Fudan University, particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) has invariably used the Si(Li) detector. Although it is a widely used X-ray detector, the Si(Li) detector has a low counting rate. In recent years, high-counting rate detectors such as the silicon drift detector (SDD) have developed rapidly. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of applying the SDD to PIXE tomography (PIXE-T) for the first time. We placed the Si(Li) detector and the SDD in symmetrical positions to collect X-rays emitted from a Cl-doped inertial confinement fusion (ICF) target simultaneously. The counting rate of the SDD is about 5 times that of the Si(Li) detector. The maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) algorithm was used to reconstruct the projection slice by slice. The quality of the projections and the reconstructed images is improved using the SDD thanks to the higher number of events collected in the detector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ doped amorphous silicon film, deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, is employed as a diffusion source to form an ultra-shallow junction and as voltage dividers in silicon drift detectors. By controlling annealing temperature and time, the junction depth can be adjusted precisely, and the shallowest junction depth of 15 nm is achieved. The I â€" V characteristics of the ultra-shallow junction, fabricated with different annealing temperature, annealing time and doping concentration, are then analyzed, and the reverse leakage current can be reduced to as low as 2 nA cmâˆ'2 under a reverse bias of 200 V at room temperature. The doped silicon film is also used to fabricate voltage dividers in silicon drift detectors. The sheet resistance of the silicon film is adjusted by controlling the thickness and annealing conditions, and a high resistance value and small temperature coefficient of the voltage dividers are achieved. Finally, the in situ doped amorphous silicon film is used to fabricate silicon drift detectors and the final energy resolution of 180 eV at 5.9 keV is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) with square structure is often used in pixel-type SDD arrays to reduce the dead region considerably and to improve the detector performance significantly. Usually, the anode is located in the center of the active region of the SDD with square structure (square-SDD), but the different anode positions in the square-SDD active area are also allowed. In order to explore the effect on device performance when the anode is located at different positions in the square-SDD active region, we designed two different types of square-SDD in this work, where the anode is located either in the center (SDD-1) or at the edge (SDD-2) of its active region. The simulation results of current density and potential distribution show that SDD-1 and SDD-2 have both formed a good electron drift path to make the anode collect electrons. The experimental results of device performance at the temperature range from −60 °C to 60 °C show that the anode current of the two fabricated SDDs both decreased with the decrease of temperature, but their voltage divider characteristics exhibited high stability resistance value and low temperature coefficient, thereby indicating that they could both provide corresponding continuous and uniform electric field at different temperatures. Finally, SDD-1 and SDD-2 have energy resolutions of 248 and 257 eV corresponding to the 5.9 keV photon peak of the Fe-55 radioactive source, respectively. Our experimental results demonstrate that there is no significant impact on the device performance irrespective of the anode positions in the square-SDD devices.

We describe a technique for measuring with high accuracy and precision the capacitance of the anode of a semiconductor drift detector (SDD) fully biased in operating conditions and connected to the front-end electronics. The proposed method does not require the use of a probe station, making it suitable for low-cost and easy-to-setup application environments. We have performed measurements on four SDDs with different geometries and production processes, observing a total capacitance ranging from 20 fF to 75 fF, depending on the bias conditions. Different components of the anode capacitance with respect to the front cathode and the adjacent drift cathodes have been measured and commented as well. Precision in the capacitance measurements better than 0.1 fF has been obtained. These results can be effectively used for the optimization of the front-end electronics for SDDs to achieve minimum electronic noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the German physicist Roentgen discovered X-rays, X-rays have been widely used in medical diagnostics, industrial non-destructive testing, and scientific research. There are four main types of single-energy X-ray generation: k-fluorescence, radioactive sources, X-ray machines (relying on monochromators), and synchrotron radiation. In view of the advantages of using X-ray machines to generate continuous energy points and non-nuclear pollution, this study uses Oxford fluorescent tubes and crystal diffraction methods to generate single-energy X-rays. The diffracted crystal uses Si111 and calculates the different energy values obtained by diffracting different Bragg angles. This study uses the silicon drift detector to measure the energy spectrum of (6–15) keV single-energy X-rays, the stability of the Oxford fluorescent tube, and spot size with a charge-coupled device detector. The obtained energy spectrum is compared with the theoretical energy calculated to verify the correctness of this method and provides important reference for crystal diffraction in low-energy sections.

Two standardless quantitative methods for evaluating EDS X-ray spectra were investigated in regards their basic metrics. Both methods have similar total errors, but the error contributions are from different sources. In the P/B-based method, error is more related to counting statistics and therefore can benefit from high count rates achievable with modern silicon drift detectors. To reduce systematic uncertainties in the net-count-based standardless approach, measured values need to be supported by data in a previously measured database. Using the P/B-based method, it is now possible to achieve standardless EDS quantification within ±10% relative deviation from true composition for 95% of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) is one of the two scientific experiments on Chandrayaan-2 rover named as Pragyan. The primary scientific objective of APXS is to determine the elemental composition of the lunar surface in the surrounding regions of the landing site. This will be achieved by employing the technique of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy using in situ excitation source 244Cm emitting both X-rays and alpha particles. These radiations excite characteristic X-rays of the elements by the processes of particle induced X-ray emission and XRF. The characteristic X-rays are detected by the 'state-of-the-art' X-ray detector known as Silicon Drift Detector, which provides high energy resolution, as well as high efficiency in the energy range of 1-25 keV. This enables APXS to detect all major rock forming elements such as, Na, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti and Fe. The flight model of the APXS payload has been completed and tested for various instrument parameters. The APXS provides energy resolution of ~135 eV at 5. 9keV for the detector operating temperature of about -35°C. The design details and the performance measurement of APXS are presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar X-ray Monitor (XSM) is one of the scientific instruments onboard Chandrayaan-2 orbiter. The XSM along with instrument CLASS (Chandra's Large Area soft X-ray Spectrometer) comprise the remote X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy experiment of Chandrayaan-2 mission with an objective to determine the elemental composition of the lunar surface on a global scale. XSM instrument will measure the solar X-rays in the energy range of 1-15 keV using state-of-the-art silicon drift detector. The flight model of the XSM payload has been designed, realized and characterized for various operating parameters. XSM provides energy resolution of ~180 eV at 5.9 keV with high time cadence of one second. The X-ray spectra of the Sun observed with XSM will also contribute to the study of solar corona. The detailed description and the performance characteristics of the XSM instrument are presented in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the German physicist Roentgen discovered X-rays, X-rays have been widely used in medical diagnostics, industrial non-destructive testing, and scientific research. There are four main types of single-energy X-ray generation: k-fluorescence, radioactive sources, X-ray machines (relying on monochromators), and synchrotron radiation. In view of the advantages of using X-ray machines to generate continuous energy points and non-nuclear pollution, this study uses Oxford fluorescent tubes and crystal diffraction methods to generate single-energy X-rays. The diffracted crystal uses Si111 and calculates the different energy values obtained by diffracting different Bragg angles. This study uses the silicon drift detector to measure the energy spectrum of (6–15) keV single-energy X-rays, the stability of the Oxford fluorescent tube, and spot size with a charge-coupled device detector. The obtained energy spectrum is compared with the theoretical energy calculated to verify the correctness of this method and provides important reference for crystal diffraction in low-energy sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HERMES (High Energy Rapid Modular Ensemble of Satellites) Pathfinder mission aims to develop a constellation of nanosatellites to study astronomical transient sources, such as gamma-ray bursts, in the X and soft γ energy range, exploiting a novel inorganic scintillator. This study presents the results obtained describing, with an empirical model, the unusually intense and long-lasting residual emission of the GAGG:Ce scintillating crystal after irradiating it with high energy protons (70 MeV) and ultraviolet light (∼ 300 nm). From the model so derived, the consequences of this residual luminescence for the detector performance in operational conditions has been analysed. The suitability of this detector for the HERMES Pathfinder nanosatellites was demonstrated by the low contribution of the afterglow, 1–2 pA at peak, to the input current of the front-end electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundThe silicon drift detector (SDD) has been widely used in space exploration in recent years. The SDD has outstanding energy resolution, but its time resolution is not very satisfactory. The charge packet generated by the interaction between the incident photon and the detector takes some time to drift to anode. The drift time depends on the distance between the interaction position and the anode, and usually can't be measured directly. Therefore, the uncertainty of drift time is the main factor that affects the time resolution of the SDD system.PurposeThis study aims to propose a method called pulse amplitude ratio to measure the drift time so as to improve the time resolution of the SDD system.MethodsThe correspondence between the drift time and the rise time of the output signal of the charge sensitive amplifier (CSA) was made use of. The rise time was measured by the pulse amplitude ratio of triangular and trapezoidal shaping, hence the drift time was obtained by measuring the pulse amplitude ratio. Matlab/Simulink module and Xilinx module of system generator were used to build the system for simulation of the readout chain for pulse amplitude ratio measurement. The relationship between pulse amplitude ratio and CSA output signal, and the influence of SDD and CSA electronic noise on pulse amplitude ratio were investigated in details.ResultsSimulation results show that the pulse amplitude ratio of the shaping network only depends on the rise time, and the electronic noise of SDD and CSA can cause the measurement error.ConclusionsThe influence of electronic noise of SDD can be reduced by using optimized parameters of the shaping network, and the accuracy of the corrected arrival time can be improved by about one order of magnitude.

Abstract In this paper, a focused detection system for X-ray pulsar-based Navigation (XNAV) is designed based on Silicon Drift Detector (SDD). The detector electronics mainly adopts the digital trapezoidal shaping method to measure the Times-Of-Arrival (TOAs) and energy of photons. The time measurement accuracy is better than 500ns. The energy resolution is 191eV at 8.05keV, and the maximum count rate is 500kcps between 1 and 12keV. In the semi-physical simulation experiment, the filtering of noise photons by energy discrimination significantly improves the correlation degree between the cumulative pulse profile and the standard profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The TRISTAN project is an extension of the KATRIN experiment to search for the signature of keV-scale sterile neutrinos in the tritium beta decay spectrum. Sterile neutrinos are hypothetical particles that mix with the active neutrinos and thus affect the spectral shape of the beta decay. For the spectroscopy of electrons from the high-activity tritium source a novel pixelated silicon drift detector (SDD) is in development. In this work the characterization of 7-pixel SDD prototypes equipped with the IDeF-X BD ASIC is presented. The prototype detectors have pixel diameters between 0.5 and 2 mm with 2–12 drift rings. The ASIC noise floor was reached with all designs. A particular focus of the characterization measurements was the study of charge sharing. A very good general performance of the SDD prototypes was demonstrated. In order to reduce charge sharing the detector prototyping continues with SDDs with a pixel diameter of 3 mm. The next prototypes with 160 pixels are in production. Highlights • TRISTAN aims to search for keV-scale sterile neutrinos at KATRIN. • A novel 4000 pixel SDD array will measure the entire tritium beta spectrum. • Silicon drift detector prototypes with ultra-thin dead layer were tested. • First measurements with 7-pixel SDDs to prove the concept were successful. • Data with tritium was taken at Troitsk nu-mass to develop analysis methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inexpensive high-resolution silicon (Si) X-ray detectors are required for on-site surveys of traces of hazardous elements in food and soil by measuring the energies and counts of X-ray fluorescence photons radially emitted from these elements. Gated silicon drift detectors (GSDDs) are much cheaper to fabricate than commercial silicon drift detectors (SDDs). However, previous GSDDs were fabricated from \(10\)-k\(\Omega \cdot\)cm Si wafers, which are more expensive than \(2\)-k\(\Omega \cdot\)cm Si wafers used in commercial SDDs. To fabricate cheaper portable X-ray fluorescence instruments, we investigate GSDDs formed from \(2\)-k\(\Omega \cdot\)cm Si wafers. The thicknesses of commercial SDDs are up to \(0.5\) mm, which can detect photons with energies up to \(27\) keV, whereas we describe GSDDs that can detect photons with energies of up to \(35\) keV. We simulate the electric potential distributions in GSDDs with Si thicknesses of \(0.5\) and \(1\) mm at a single high reverse bias. GSDDs with one gate pattern using any resistivity Si wafer can work well for changing the reverse bias that is inversely proportional to the resistivity of the Si wafer.

Internal conversion electron (ICE) spectra of thin 238,239,240 Pu sources, measured with a windowless Peltier-cooled silicon drift detector (SDD), were deconvoluted and relative ICE intensities were derived from the fitted peak areas. Corrections were made for energy dependence of the full-energy-peak counting efficiency, based on Monte Carlo simulations. A good agreement was found with the theoretically expected internal conversion coefficient (ICC) values calculated from the BrIcc database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present the first X-ray calibration performed over the 0.1–1.5 keV spectral range by means of a soft X-ray Manson source and the monochromator SYMPAX. This monochromator, based on a classical Rowland geometry, presents the novelty to be able to board simultaneously two detectors and move them under vacuum in front of the exit slit of the monochromatizing stage. This provides the great advantage to perform radiometric measurements of the monochromatic X-ray photon flux with one reference detector while calibrating another X-ray detector. To achieve this, at least one secondary standard must be operated with SYMPAX. This paper presents thereby an efficiency transfer experiment between a secondary standard silicon drift detector (SDD), previously calibrated on BESSY II synchrotron Facility, and another one (“unknown” SDD), devoted to be used permanently with SYMPAX. The associated calibration process is described as well as corresponding results. Comparison with calibrated measurements performed at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) Radiometric Laboratory shows a very good agreement between the secondary standard and the unknown SDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon drift detector (SDD) fabricated using in-situ doping technology has been developed in recent years since its advantages of low process temperature and ultra-shallow junction. However, the N+ and P+ regions on the same substrate surface cannot be formed simultaneously during the process of fabricating SDD by using in-situ doping. To overcome these challenges, we proposed a simple method to form stacked silicon films with phosphorus doped layer and boron doped layer on the same surface of SDD by impurity compensation effect in this work. The stacked silicon films with thicker boron doped layer (stack-1, partially compensated) and thinner boron doped layer (stack-2, totally compensated) were prepared by impurity compensation. Then we further investigated the films properties and electrical properties of stack-1 and stack-2. The experimental results showed that the leakage current of stack-1 was larger than that of stack-2 in PN junction devices. The simulation results indicated that a tunnel junction was formed in the stack-1 which would cause a very large leakage current when a reverse bias was applied to the PN junction. Finally, stack-2 with completely compensated boron doped layer was used to fabricated SDD and the best energy resolution achieved at the temperature of 213 K was 180 eV @ the Mn-Kα line (5.9 keV). The good energy resolution of this SDD indicated that the stacked silicon films with fully compensated boron doped layer are suitable applied to fabricating the silicon drift detectors and can also obtain excellent device performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large area Silicon Drift Detectors are employed in high sensitivity tests of the Pauli Exclusion Principle by the VIP-2 Collaboration. The experiment is operated in the extremely low cosmic background environment of the Gran Sasso underground National Laboratory of INFN. In this work an off-line analysis method is proposed which provides an additional background reduction, as well as a better calibration procedure. The study concerns in particular the charge sharing between nearby cells, and is applied to the data set collected during the 2018 VIP-2 campaign. The cross-talk effect inside the detectors array is described and an effective topological method to reject the background induced by charge sharing is outlined. • Silicon Drift Detectors in VIP-2 experiment to tests the Pauli Exclusion Principle. • Topological method for rejection of cross-talk effect in SDD detectors. • Background reduction and resolution improvement in monolithic SDDs based detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon drift detectors (SDDs) are widely applied for x-ray detection due to their remarkable energy resolution. The main contribution to energy resolution is the electrical noise of the measurement system. In addition, imperfect charge collection and ballistic deficits also deteriorate the energy resolution, which is closely related to bias conditions. However, bias condition's effect on energy resolution has been rarely reported. To investigate its effect on energy resolution, we proposed a quasi-double-sided silicon drift detector (QD-SDD) with a drift ring structure designed on the back side. QD-SDDs was simulated and verified to have more flexibility in bias conditions, achieving better electron collection efficiency and shorter collection time at higher bias voltages. Finally, the fabricated QD-SDDs were characterized using a55Fe radioactive source. The experimental results show that the energy resolution of the QD-SDD varies with different bias conditions. The optimal energy resolution is 170 eV under the optimized bias conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon drift detector with high sensitivity and energy resolution is an advanced detector which is suitable to be used in deep space detection. To study and reveal the radiation damage of the silicon drift detector (SDD) in a deep-space environment, which will degrade the detector performance, in this paper, the SDD radiation damage effects and mechanics, including displacement damage and ionization damage, for irradiations of different energy of neutrons and gammas are investigated using Geant4 simulation. The results indicate the recoil atoms distribution generated by neutrons in SDD is uniform, and recoil atoms’ energy is mainly in the low energy region. For secondary particles produced by neutron irradiation, a large energy loss in inelastic scattering and fission reactions occur, and neutron has a significant nuclear reaction. The energy deposition caused by gammas irradiation is linear with the thickness of SDD; the secondary electron energy distribution produced by gamma irradiation is from several eV to incident particle energy. As the scattering angle of secondary electron increases, the number of secondary electrons decreases. Therefore, a reasonable detector epitaxial thickness should be set in the anti-irradiation design of SDD.

The validity of the Pauli exclusion principle-a building block of Quantum Mechanics-is tested for electrons. The VIP (violation of Pauli exclusion principle) and its follow-up VIP-2 experiments at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso search for X-rays from copper atomic transitions that are prohibited by the Pauli exclusion principle. The candidate events-if they exist-originate from the transition of a 2p orbit electron to the ground state which is already occupied by two electrons. The present limit on the probability for Pauli exclusion principle violation for electrons set by the VIP experiment is 4.7 ×10-29. We report a first result from the VIP-2 experiment improving on the VIP limit, which solidifies the final goal of achieving a two orders of magnitude gain in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is shown that accurate x-ray microanalysis of frozen-hydrated and dry organic compounds, such as model biological samples, is possible with a silicon drift detector in combination with XPP (exponential model of Pouchou and Pichoir matrix correction) software using 'remote standards'. This type of analysis is also referred to as 'standardless analysis'. Analyses from selected areas or elemental images (maps) were identical. Improvements in x-ray microanalytical hardware and software, together with developments in cryotechniques, have made the quantitative analysis of cryoplaned frozen-hydrated biological samples in the scanning electron microscope a much simpler procedure. The increased effectiveness of pulse pile-up rejection renders the analysis of Na, with ultrathin window detectors, in the presence of very high concentrations of O, from ice, more accurate. The accurate analysis of Ca (2 mmol kg−1) in the presence of high concentrations of K is possible. Careful sublimation of surface frost from frozen-hydrated samples resulted in a small increase in analysed elemental concentrations. A more prolonged sublimation from the same resurfaced sample and other similar samples resulted in higher element concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the effective solid angle improvement achieved using a large-area silicon drift detector together with a virtual-pivot double-tilt specimen holder. The virtual-pivot mechanism enables various designs of specimen-retaining and can reduce the shadowing effect. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectra were measured and converted into effective solid angles using different types of specimen holders and specimens. The investigated shadowing-free mechanical system yielded effective solid angles approaching the nominal solid angle of 0.464 sr. In addition, we have demonstrated the availability of the plastic (polyetheretherketone) specimen holder for low system noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two samples, one of natural iridium and the other of enriched 193Ir, were irradiated with a monoenergetic neutron beam of energy 6.0 MeV at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory. The product of the 193Ir (n , n ′) 193 m Ir reaction was determined by means of measuring X-rays following electron conversion of the isomeric state at 80.2 keV in 193Ir. The cross section for inelastic neutron scattering is reported disagreeing with the literature data. • Neutron activation measurements of natural iridium and enriched 193Ir at 6 MeV. • Inelastic scattering cross section determination from X-ray measurements. • The present data gives the upper limit for the 193Ir(n,n')193mIr reaction cross section at 6 MeV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]