Small Spot X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Analyzer

Abstract

A hand-held, self-contained x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer produces a small x-ray spot on a sample to interrogate the elemental composition of a sample region of millimeter-size characteristic dimension. The analyzer includes a collimator for aiming an x-ray beam toward a desired location on the sample and for determining the size of the spot produced on the sample. The analyzer may include a digital camera oriented toward the portion of the sample that is, or would be, interrogated by the x-ray spot to facilitate aiming the analyzer. The analyzer may generate a reticule in a displayed image to indicate the portion of the sample that is, or would be, illuminated by the x-ray beam. The analyzer may automatically annotate the image of the sample with text or graphics that contain information about the analyzed sample. The image may be stored in the hand-held analyzer or provided for external storage or display.

1 . An analyzer for analyzing composition of a sample, comprising:
 a hand-held, self-contained, test instrument that includes:
 a source for producing a beam of penetrating radiation for illuminating a spot on at least a portion of the sample, thereby producing a response signal from the sample; 
 a collimator for the beam having a distal exit aperture characterized by a transverse dimension, the distal exit disposed at a distance from the sample no greater than about twice the transverse dimension; 
 a detector for receiving the response signal and for producing an output signal; 
 a processor coupled to the detector and programmed to process the output signal from the detector; and 
 a battery powering the source and the processor.