Application of X-ray absorption edge spectrometry to the non-destructive determination of element concentrations, coating thickness and areal densities

X-ray absorption edge spectrometry is a relatively new technique for measuring the thickness of films and coatings. It can also be used to determine the concentration of the heavier elements in a low atomic number matrix. Although the method has important limitations with regard to the sample types that can be measured, recent developments in equipment have extended the area of applicability and have also made it possible to carry out on-line measurements on samples in hostile or inaccessible environments such as vacuum vessels, furnaces, or radioactive areas, where other methods would be difficult if not impossible to apply. (author)