Rapid fluorescence and energy powder pattern analysis system

Abstract Reported here is a computer-coupled energy dispersive x-ray system capable of performing rapid elemental analysis and phase identification employing fluorescence and energy powder pattern analyses, The system consists of a Si(Li) detector, commercial diffractometer, vacuum specimen chamber with fluorescsnce geometry and a multichannel analyzer interfaced to a laboratory computer. The continuous radiation is used to excite both fluorescent x-rays and Bragg reflections. The diffractometer spectrum obtained with a fixed 2θ setting gives the crystalline diffraction pattern plus the detectable emission lines. With the fluorescence geometry, the system is capable of detecting the characteristic x-rays of the elements down to Na. The fluorescent spectrum can be used to separate the diffraction peaks from the emission lines in the diffractometer spectrum. Furthermore, the fluorescent spectrum can be used for qualitative or/and quantitative elemental analysis. Software was developed for element recognition, to isolate the diffraction pattern from emission lines, d-spacing calculations, as well as matrix corrections and mass fraction determination of elements in quantitative analysis.