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X-Ray Fluorescence Microprobe for Chemical Analysis

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Synchrotron Radiation Research

Abstract

X-ray photoionization of elements and the detection of their characteristic fluorescent radiation has long been a basic research tool in atomic physics (see Chapter 4). It is also a widely applied analytical technique for the determination of elemental composition in support of both research and technology. The analytical application is the subject of this chapter. Synchrotron radiation must offer some important advances over present analytical techniques or little justification can be found for the use of a facility remote to most users. The analytical capabilities of the limited synchrotron facilities available will not supply all the routine analytical services required. However, increasing demands on analytical services caused by advanced technologies and growing concern for environmental monitoring is exceeding the performance capabilities of standard analytical methods. Justifications for applying synchrotron radiation to measurements of chemical composition include lowering of the detection limits, reducing heat or damage to the sample, improving the spatial resolution and contrast of microprobe analysis, reducing the time for analysis, improving the means of chemical identification by measuring absorption edge shifts or exafs, providing more accurate quantitative analysis, and extending analytical measurements to samples, configurations, and environments that are impractical, if not impossible, to analyze with present techniques.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Metals and Ceramics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 37830, USA

    C. J. Sparks Jr.

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Bin 69, P.O. Box 4349, 94305, Stanford, California, USA

    Herman Winick

  2. Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, 94305, Stanford, California, USA

    S. Doniach

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Sparks, C.J. (1980). X-Ray Fluorescence Microprobe for Chemical Analysis. In: Winick, H., Doniach, S. (eds) Synchrotron Radiation Research. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7998-4_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7998-4_14

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