Developments of nuclear microprobe for PIXE analysis

The capabilities of PIXE analysis with nuclear microbeams are described compared with the electron microprobe analysis which is the most widely used technique of positional analysis. The production of nuclear microprobes either by collimation or by focussing is described. Various focussing lenses used so far are compared and the factors which limit the achievable beam spot size are also described. The appropriate uses of PIXE microprobes with the presently attained spatial resolution are discussed. (author)