X-ray fluorescence system and method for identifying samples

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11112372-B2
Application number	US-201716334431-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 17, 2017
Priority date	Sep 19, 2016
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

A control system and method are presented for controlling operation of an X-ray Fluorescent (XRF) system for detecting at least one material carried by a sample, for example at least one marker carried by the sample. The control system comprises: data input utility for receiving input data comprising material/marker related data about said at least one material/marker; and data processor and analyzer utility. The data processor and analyzer utility is configured and operable for analyzing the input data and determining optimal geometrical characteristics of the XRF system for optimizing operational conditions of said XRF system to maximize amount of primary X-ray radiation that reaches a predetermined region of the sample and is absorbed by a volume of said region and to maximize a portion of secondary radiation emitted from said region that reaches a detector of the XRF system; and for generating operational data to the XRF system enabling adjustment of the geometrical characteristics of the XRF system.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control system for controlling operation of an X-ray Fluorescent (XRF) system for detecting at least one material carried by a sample, the control system comprising:
data input utility configured and operable for data communication with a storage utility, to obtain input data comprising material-related data about said at least one material carried by the sample;
data processor and analyzer utility configured and operable to analyze the input data and determine optimal geometrical characteristics of the XRF system, and generate operational data indicative of corresponding optimal operational conditions of said XRF system, said optimal operational conditions comprising an operational condition of an X-ray source of the XRF system providing that maximized amount of primary X-ray radiation reaches a predetermined region of the sample and is absorbed by a volume of said region, and an operational condition of a detector of the XRF system providing that a portion of secondary radiation emitted from said region and reaching the detector is maximized; and
data output utility configured and operable to generate output data comprising said operational data to the XRF system enabling adjustment of the geometrical characteristics of the XRF system.

2. The control system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one material is associated with at least one marker carried by the sample.

3. The control system of claim 1 , wherein said material-related data about said at least one material comprises at least one of the following: a location of said at least one material within the sample; a lateral dimension of a surface region of the sample where said at least one material is located; and a thickness of a structure of said at least one material defining said volume.

4. The control system of claim 1 , wherein said geometrical characteristics of the XRF system to be optimized include at least two of the following: a distance between a primary radiation emitting plane of the XRF system and a sample plane; a distance between a detection plane of the XRF system and a sample plane; angular orientation of an irradiation channel defined by the XRF system; and angular orientation of a detection channel defined by the XRF system.

5. The control system of claim 4 , wherein said geometrical characteristics comprise a configuration of a scattering plate assembly at an emitting end of an X-ray source used in the XRF system.

6. The control system of claim 1 , wherein the data processor and analyzer is further configured and operable for processing measured data detected by the XFT system and identifying said at least one marker.

7. The control system of claim 1 , wherein said maximized amount of the primary X-ray radiation reaching the predetermined region is such that the primary radiation is confined as much as possible to said volume of the surface region on the sample where said at least one material is present, to thereby increase probability of absorbing the primary radiation by said volume and reduce probability of penetration of the primary radiation through said volume into a bulk of the sample.

8. An X-ray Fluorescent (XRF) system for use in detection of at least one material carried by a sample, the XRF system comprising: an X-ray source for emitting primary radiation towards a sample plane; a detector for detecting secondary radiation from the sample; and a control system according to claim 1 .

9. The XRF system of claim 8 , wherein said at least one material is associated with at least marker carried by the sample.

10. The XRF system of claim 8 , wherein the X-ray source comprises a scattering plate assembly at an emitting end portion thereof, said scattering plate assembly being configured for absorbing the primary radiation and emitting secondary radiation of a desired wavelength and direction of propagation towards a predetermined region on a sample plane.

11. The XRF system of claim 8 , wherein the control system is configured and operable for receiving operational data and adjusting geometrical characteristics of the XRF system, said geometrical characteristics comprising at least one of the following: a distance between a primary radiation emitting plane of the X-ray source and a sample plane; a distance between a detection plane of the detector and a sample plane; angular orientation of an irradiation channel defined by the X-ray source; angular orientation of a detection channel defined by the detector; and configuration of the scattering plate assembly to be used in the X-ray source.

12. A method for use on X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) measurements on a sample for detecting at least one material carried by the sample, the method comprising:
providing material related data about said at least one material, said material related data comprising at least one of the following: a location of said at least one material within the sample; a lateral dimension of a surface region of the sample where said at least one material is located; and a thickness of a structure of said at least one material defining a desired absorbing volume of the sample;
analyzing the material related data and determining optimal geometrical characteristics of an XRF system to be used in the XRF measurements on said sample for optimizing operational conditions of the XRF system, to maximize amount of primary X-ray radiation that reaches said desired volume of the sample and is absorbed by said volume and to maximize a portion of secondary radiation emitted from said volume that reaches a detector of the XRF system; and
generating operational data to be provided to a controller of the XRF system for adjusting geometrical characteristics of the XRF system, said geometrical characteristics comprising at least one of the following: a distance between a primary radiation emitting plane of the XRF system and a sample plane; a distance between a detection plane of the XRF system and a sample plane; angular orientation of an irradiation channel defined by the XRF system; angular orientation of a detection channel defined by the XRF system; and a configuration of a scattering plate assembly at an emitting end portion of the XRF system.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said at least one material is associated with at least one marker carried by the sample.

Assignees

• Soreq Nuclear Res Ct
• Security Matters Ltd

Inventors

• Grof Yair
• Kislev Tzemah
• Yoran Nadav
• Alon Haggai
• Kaplinsky Mor

Classifications

• G01N2223/076

  X-ray fluorescence · CPC title

• G01N23/223 Primary

  by irradiating the sample with X-rays or gamma-rays and by measuring X-ray fluorescence · CPC title

• G01N2223/1016

  X-ray · CPC title

• G01N2223/05

  by diffraction, scatter or reflection · CPC title

• G01N23/20

  by using diffraction of the radiation by the materials, e.g. for investigating crystal structure; by using scattering of the radiation by the materials, e.g. for investigating non-crystalline materials; by using reflection of the radiation by the materials · CPC title