X-ray fluorescence spectrometer comprising a gas blowing mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9400255-B2
Application number	US-201414219579-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2014
Priority date	Mar 28, 2013
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

An X-ray fluorescence spectrometer includes: a sample stage configured to place a sample thereon; an X-ray source configured to irradiate the sample with primary X-rays; a detector, which is configured to detect fluorescent X-rays produced from the sample irradiated with the primary X-rays, and which includes an X-ray incident window formed by a window material through which fluorescent X-rays is transmittable; and a gas blowing mechanism configured to blow a gas to at least one of an outer surface of the X-ray incident window and the sample stage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An X-ray fluorescence spectrometer comprising:
a sample stage configured to place a sample thereon;
an X-ray source configured to irradiate the sample with primary X-rays;
a detector, which is configured to detect fluorescent X-rays produced from the sample irradiated with the primary X-rays, and which comprises an X-ray incident window formed by a window material through which fluorescent X-rays are transmittable; and
a gas blowing mechanism comprising a passage extending along a periphery of the detector up to the X-ray incident window and configured to blow gas through the passage to an outer surface of the X-ray incident window.

2. The X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to claim 1 , wherein the gas blowing mechanism comprises a mechanism which also blows the gas to the sample stage.

3. The X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to claim 1 , wherein the gas comprises helium (He).

4. The X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector comprises a collimator section, which is disposed in a periphery of the X-ray incident window, and which is configured to set an opening degree of the X-ray incident window,
wherein the gas blowing mechanism comprises:
a supply source of the gas;
a gas pipe, a base end of which is connected to the supply source; and
an internal gas flow passage, which is disposed in the collimator section, and in which a tip end of the gas pipe is connected to a base end of the internal gas flow passage, wherein the internal gas flow passage comprises a plurality of blow out holes for blowing out the gas at a tip end of the internal gas flow passage, and
wherein the plurality of blow out holes are disposed in the periphery of the X-ray incident window so as to blow out the gas toward the outer surface of the X-ray incident window.

5. The X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector comprises a collimator section, which is disposed in a periphery of the X-ray incident window, and which is configured to set an opening degree of the X-ray incident window, and
wherein the gas blowing mechanism comprises an internal gas flow passage, which is disposed in the collimator section, and which is branched off to:
a plurality of first holes disposed in the periphery of the X-ray incident window so as to blow out the gas toward the outer surface of the X-ray incident window; and
a plurality of second holes opened in a tip end surface of the collimator section so as to blow out the gas toward the sample stage.

6. An X-ray fluorescence spectrometer comprising:
a sample stage configured to place a sample thereon;
an X-ray source configured to irradiate the sample with primary X-rays;
a detector, which is configured to detect fluorescent X-rays produced from the sample irradiated with the primary X-rays, and which comprises an X-ray incident window formed by a window material through which fluorescent X-rays are transmittable; and
a gas blowing mechanism configured to blow gas to an outer surface of the X-ray incident window,
wherein the gas blowing mechanism comprises an internal gas flow passage, which is disposed around the periphery of the detector, and which is branched off to:
a plurality of first holes disposed in the periphery of the X-ray incident window so as to blow out the gas toward the outer surface of the X-ray incident window; and
a plurality of second holes opened spaced from the plurality of first holes in a direction further away from the periphery of the X-ray incident window so as to blow out the gas toward the sample stage.

7. The X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to claim 6 , wherein the gas blowing mechanism comprises a passage extending along a periphery of the detector to the X-ray incident window.

8. The X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to claim 6 , wherein the gas comprises helium (He).

Assignees

• Hitachi High-Tech Science Corp

Inventors

• Nohara Hiroaki
• Matoba Yoshiki
• Sakai Noriaki
• Takeuchi Toshitada

Classifications

• G01N23/223 Primary

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

• G01N2223/076

  X-ray fluorescence · CPC title