A modular system for XRF and XRD applications consisting of a microfocus X-ray source and different capillary optics

In recent years, new components for x-ray analysis have been developed: capillary optics, microfocus x-ray tubes and compact detectors, e.g. energy-dispersive detectors without liquid nitrogen cooling. Microfocus tubes have a relatively low power but their brightness is up to 100 times higher than for normal x-ray tubes which are used in diffractometry. A combination of these tubes with highly efficient capillary optical elements allows one to obtain parallel or focused beams of high intensity. Combining such a special source with detectors of different kinds, a compact system can be realized which may be successfully used in micro-XRF, in diffraction and microdiffraction, etc. The system presented is designed in a modular way so that the components may be replaced by each other. Some examples of applications of such systems are reported. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.