X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices – Specific application – Diffraction – reflection – or scattering analysis
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-18
2004-06-08
Church, Craig E. (Department: 2882)
X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices
Specific application
Diffraction, reflection, or scattering analysis
C378S080000, C378S081000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06748048
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an attachment such as a high temperature attachment arranged around a specimen in an X-ray apparatus and an X-ray apparatus having the attachment.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known an X-ray apparatus, which measures X-rays from a specimen when the specimen is irradiated with X-rays from an X-ray source, such as X-rays diffracted by the specimen, by using X-ray detection means such as an X-ray counter. There have been also known An X-ray apparatus, which performs such X-ray measurement by using a specimen housed in an attachment such as a high temperature attachment.
In an X-ray apparatus of such kind, a main role of X-ray detection means is to detect X-rays from a specimen. However, if there are no measures for excluding undesired X-ray from an attachment housing the specimen, the X-ray detection means may also detect the undesired X-rays, causing a result of X-ray detection to be incorrect.
In order to solve such a problem, an X-ray apparatus having a structure such as shown in
FIG. 4
has been proposed in which a slit
52
is provided between a specimen S and an X-ray detector
51
. In
FIG. 4
, the specimen S is housed in a temperature regulator
53
, which is one of attachments for changing temperature of the specimen S. The slit
52
is constructed with a plurality of walls
54
arranged in parallel along a line shown by an arrow A.
The X-ray detector
51
may comprise a PSPC (Position Sensitive Proportional Counter), which is a one-dimensional X-ray detector. As well known, the PSPC
51
has a lateral slot
56
for receiving X-rays and, when X-rays are incident on any position of the slot
56
, outputs a signal corresponding to the position, that is, the diffraction angle of X-ray, and having a level corresponding to an intensity of the X-ray.
In the X-ray apparatus shown in
FIG. 4
, X-rays radiated from an X-ray source F is collimated by a divergence-limiting slit
57
and directed to the specimen S. When the X-rays incident on the specimen S satisfies the Bragg's diffraction condition with respect to crystal lattice plane of the specimen S, the X-rays are diffracted by the specimen S. The diffracted X-rays pass through the spaces defined by the walls
54
constituting the slit
52
and are incident on the slot
56
of the PSPC
51
.
In the above-described conventional X-ray apparatus, when X-rays pass through an X-ray window
59
of the temperature regulator
53
, the X-rays are scattered, resulting in scattered X-rays as undesired X-rays. Although the slit
52
is provided for preventing the undesired X-rays from being incident on the X-ray detector
51
, the degree of prevention of undesired X-rays is not enough to exclude the effect of undesired X-rays.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to prevent undesired X-rays generated from other locations than a specimen from entering into an X-ray detector.
The inventors of the present invention had conducted various experiments on prevention of undesired X-rays incident on the X-ray detector and have found that it is effective to block undesired X-rays in the vicinity of location at which the undesired X-rays are generated.
(1) In order to achieve the above object, an attachment mounted on a specimen support portion of an X-ray apparatus, according to the present invention, is featured by comprising a cover member covering a specimen and a scattered ray excluding member provided between the cover member and the specimen. The scattered ray excluding member defines a through-hole having an inlet opening having a large area on the side of the cover member and an outlet opening having a small area on the side of the specimen.
According to this attachment, the scattered ray excluding member prevents undesired X-rays from being mixed in travelling paths of X-rays incident on the specimen and diffracted X-rays from the specimen, so that it is possible to perform a highly precise X-ray measurement.
(2) In the above-mentioned attachment, it is preferable that width and height of the inlet opening on the cover member side are larger than those of the outlet opening on the specimen side. Thus, incident angles of the X-rays incident on the specimen in width and height directions can be made large.
(3) In this attachment, the scattered X-ray excluding member may be arranged on the X-ray incident side of the specimen. Thus, it is possible, by the scattered X-ray excluding member, to shield undesired X-rays resulting from scattering of X-rays when the X-rays from an X-ray source pass through the cover member covering the specimen.
(4) In this attachment, the scattered X-ray excluding member can be formed by vertical wail members and lateral wall members. That is, the scattered X-ray excluding member can take in the form of an enclosure having a pair of vertical walls and a pair of lateral walls. With such an enclosure covering a space having square cross section, excludability of scattered X-rays becomes high compared with a scattered X-ray excluding member takes in a dome or semi-cylindrical form.
(5) In this attachment, the cover member may be formed of a visually transparent and X-ray transmitting material and have a semi-spherical form. By forming the cover member of the visually transparent material, it is possible to perform a measurement while watching the specimen. By the employment of the semi-spherical configuration of the cover member, it is easy for a user to handle the cover member.
X-rays diffracted by the specimen impinge to different positions of the inner surface of the cover member according to diffraction angles of X-rays. If the cover member is not in the semi-spherical form, the length of the traveling paths of X-rays within the wall of the cover member are changed according to the impinging positions, resulting in change of absorption of X-rays. This may require taking some steps for compensating the change of absorption of X-rays.
In contrast, since the semi-spherical form is employed in the present invention for the cover member, the length of the traveling paths of X-rays within the wall of the cover member becomes uniform regardless of the impinging positions of X-rays on the inner surface of the cover member. Thus, there is no need to make any compensation.
(6) Further, the attachment mentioned above may have a main body portion to be mounted on the sample support portion of the X-ray apparatus and the cover member can be detachably fixed to the main body portion.
(7) In the attachment having the cover member detachably fixed to the main body portion, the cover member may be mounted on the main body portion by forming a female thread on an inner peripheral surface of the cover member, forming a male thread on an outer peripheral surface of the main body portion and screwing the cover member onto the main body portion. With such construction employed, the cover member can be firmly fixed to the main body portion with a very simple work.
(8) The attachment may further comprise at least one of heater means for heating the specimen, cooling means for cooling the specimen, moisture regulator means for changing moisture condition around the specimen and environment regulation means for setting a gas environment of the specimen different from the atmosphere environment.
The attachment having the heating means constitutes a so-called high temperature attachment and that having the cooling means constitutes a so-called low temperature attachment.
(9) A high temperature attachment to be mounted on a specimen support portion of an X-ray apparatus, according to the present invention, is featured by comprising a specimen table for mounting a specimen thereon, heater means for heating the specimen table, a cover member covering the specimen and a scattered X-ray excluding member provided between the cover member and the specimen. The scattered ray excluding member defines a through-hole having an inlet opening having a large area on the side of the cover member and an outlet opening
Burns Doane Swecker & Mathis L.L.P.
Church Craig E.
Kiknadze Irakli
Rigaku Corporation
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