X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9645100-B2
Application number	US-201414579630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2014
Priority date	Dec 24, 2013
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

An X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus is provided with: an excitation source configured to excite an analysis target sample to emit a characteristic X-ray; an X-ray detector configured to detect the characteristic X-ray emitted from the analysis target sample; and an electromagnetic wave shield and a heat shield that are sequentially arranged from the analysis target sample toward the X-ray detector. The electromagnetic wave shield is provided with a through hole portion on which a through hole through which the characteristic X-ray passes is formed, the through hole having a size equal to or smaller than 50 μm. The heat shield is provided with a window portion through which the characteristic X-ray is passed through.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus comprising:
an excitation source configured to excite an analysis target sample to emit a characteristic X-ray;
an X-ray detector configured to detect the characteristic X-ray emitted from the analysis target sample; and
an electromagnetic wave shield and a heat shield that are sequentially arranged from the analysis target sample toward the X-ray detector,
wherein the electromagnetic wave shield comprises a through hole portion on which a through hole through which the characteristic X-ray passes is formed, the through hole having a size equal to or smaller than 50 μm, and
wherein the heat shield comprises a window portion through which the characteristic X-ray is passed through.

2. The X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the window portion of the heat shield is configured to have a size equal to or smaller than a size of the through hole portion.

3. The X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the heat shield is configured to have one or more of the window portion, and
wherein a size of each window portion is configured to be smaller as a distance from the through hole portion becomes larger and to be smaller than a size of the through hole portion.

4. The X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the through hole is configured to have a size equal to or smaller than 10 μm.

5. The X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the heat shield is configured to have three or less window portions which are sequentially arranged from the electromagnetic wave shield toward the X-ray detector.

6. The X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the heat shield is configured to have two or less window portions which are sequentially arranged from the electromagnetic wave shield toward the X-ray detector.

7. The X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the electromagnetic wave shield is provided with a hole portion to which the through hole portion is equipped, and
wherein the window portion is configured to have a size smaller than a size of the hole portion by 1 mm or more.

8. The X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising:
a cooling device configured to cool a first window portion to a temperature equal to or lower than 10K, the first window portion being the window portion closest to the X-ray detector among a plurality of the window portions is equal to or less than 10 K, and to cool a second a second window portion to a temperature equal to or lower than 100K, the second window portion being the window portion adjacent to the first window portion.

9. The X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the window portion is configured by a laminated body of metal and an organic membrane or a silicon nitride membrane, and the thickness of each of the metal and the organic membrane or the silicon nitride membrane is configured to be equal to or less than 100 nm.

10. The X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the electromagnetic wave shield is configured to concentrate the characteristic X-ray.

11. The X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:
a shield cooling device configured to cool the electromagnetic wave shield to a temperature equal to or less than 200 K.

12. The X-ray fluorescence analysis apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:
a shield position adjustment mechanism configured to adjust a position of the electromagnetic wave shield between the analysis target sample and the X-ray detector;
a cooling position adjustment mechanism configured to adjust a cooling position at which the cooling device cools the window portion and the X-ray detector; and
a shut-off valve configured to separate a vacuum space between the shield position adjustment mechanism and the cooling position adjustment mechanism.

Assignees

• Hitachi High-Tech Science Corp

Inventors

• Tanaka Keiichi
• Odawara Akikazu

Classifications

• G01N23/223 Primary

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

• G01N23/20091 Primary

  Measuring the energy-dispersion spectrum [EDS] of diffracted radiation · CPC title

• G01N2223/076

  X-ray fluorescence · CPC title

• G01N23/2252

  Measuring emitted X-rays, e.g. electron probe microanalysis [EPMA] · CPC title