An X-ray fluorescence spectrometer based on pyroelectric effect

A pyroelectric X-ray generator is implemented, and an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer is accomplished by combining the pyroelectric X-ray generator with a high energy resolution silicon drift detector. Firstly, the parameters of the X-ray generator are decided by analyzing and calculating the influence of the thickness of the pyroelectric crystal and the thickness of the target on emitted X-ray. Secondly, the emitted X-ray is measured. The energy of emitted X-ray is from 1 keV to 27 keV, containing the characteristic X-ray of Cu and Ta, and the max counting rate is more than 3000 per second. The measurement also proves that the detector of the spectrometer has a high energy resolution which the FWMH is 210 eV at 8.05 keV. Lastly, samples of Fe, Ti, Cr and high-Ti basalt are analyzed using the spectrometer, and the results are agreed with the elements of the samples. It shows that the spectrometer consisting of a pyroelectric X-ray generator and a silicon drift detector is effective for element analysis. Additionally, because each part of the spectrometer has a small volume, it can be easily modified to a portable one which is suitable for non-destructive, on-site and quick element analysis. (authors)