X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices – Beam control
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-15
2001-10-23
Kim, Robert H. (Department: 2882)
X-ray or gamma ray systems or devices
Beam control
C378S147000, C378S149000, C378S084000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06307917
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a soller slit for collimating diverging X-rays to parallel X-rays. Also, the present invention relates to an X-ray apparatus constructed with the same soller slit.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known an X-ray apparatus that is an apparatus for analyzing a specimen with using X-rays. Further, there has been known an X-ray apparatus having a structure in which a soller slit for collimating X-rays incident to a specimen or X-rays diffracted by the specimen to parallel X-ray beams by limiting divergence of the X-rays.
FIG. 12
shows an example of a conventional X-ray apparatus using such soller slit.
In the X-ray apparatus, a specimen ‘S’ performs the so-called &thgr; rotation in which the specimen ‘s’ continuously or intermittently rotates about an axis line Xs of the specimen ‘s’ at a predetermined angular speed, and simultaneously, an X-ray counter
51
performs the so-called 2&thgr; rotation in which the X-ray counter
51
rotates about the axis line Xs in the same direction at an angular speed twice the predetermined angular speed. X-rays emitted from an X-ray focal point ‘F’ are directed through a monochromator slit
52
, monochromator
53
, a soller slit
54
and a divergence limiting slit
56
to the specimen ‘S’, while the &thgr; rotation and the 2&thgr; rotation being performed.
The conventional soller slit
54
is constructed by piling up a plurality of thin metal foils
61
with using a spacer between adjacent metal foils, as shown in
FIG. 13. A
front and rear portions of this soller slit
54
in a propagating direction of an X-ray ‘R’ are opened to allow the X-ray to pass through and side portions thereof are closed by spacers
59
and side walls
62
.
In
FIG. 12
, the soller slit
54
limits divergence of X-rays generated from the X-ray focal point ‘F’ and then reflected or diffracted by the monochromator
53
, to form parallel X-ray beams incident on the specimen. In some case, the soller slit is arranged between a divergence limiting slit
57
and a light receiving slit
58
to direct X-rays to an X-ray counter
51
by limiting divergence of X-rays diffracted by the specimen ‘S’.
In
FIG. 12
, when Bragg's diffraction condition is satisfied between X-ray incident on the specimen ‘S’ under the &thgr; rotation and crystal lattice face of the same specimen ‘S’, X-ray diffraction occurs at the specimen ‘S’. Thus diffracted X-rays are detected by the X-ray counter
51
through the scattering ray limiting slit
57
and the light receiving slit
58
, which perform 2&thgr; rotations, respectively. On the basis of this detection, both the diffraction angle 2&thgr; and the X-ray intensity regarding X-rays diffracted at the specimen ‘S’ are measured.
In the X-ray apparatus mentioned above, the soller slit
54
is located in a position remote from other X-ray optical elements such as the monochromator
53
and the specimen ‘S’ as shown in FIG.
12
. Therefore, a space dedicated to the soller slit
54
is required, causing the size of the X-ray apparatus to be large.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was made in view of the above mentioned state of art and has an object to remove, in an X-ray apparatus, the necessity of providing a space for arranging a soller slit to thereby increase an X-ray intensity received by the X-ray counter.
(1) In order to achieve the above object, a soller slit according to the present invention, which includes a plurality of metal foils stacked with a constant interval provided by spacers each between adjacent foils, is featured by that the end portion of the metal foils opposite to the spacers are opened. The metal foil can be formed of any metal material, provided that the metal material is impermeable with respect to X-rays. For example, stainless steal may be used therefor.
In the soller slit mentioned above, since one end portion of the metal foils are opened to be a free end, other X-ray optical components such as a monochromator, a specimen, etc., can be arranged in facing relation to the opened portion. Therefore, there is no need of separately providing a space dedicated to the soller slit, causing the size of the X-ray apparatus to be reduced. Further, since reduction of the X-ray apparatus in size makes possible to shorten an X-ray passage, it is possible to increase intensity of X-rays to be detected by an X-ray detector.
Further, the soller slit can be mounted directly on and preferably integrally with the optical component such as the monochromator, so that the optical component and the soller slit are necessarily determined in position relative to each other. As a result, there is no need of separately regulating positions of the soller slit and the optical components opposing to the soller slit in regulating an optical axis regulation related to various X-ray optical components constituting the X-ray apparatus. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily perform an optical axis regulation work related to the X-ray apparatus.
(2) In the X-ray apparatus mentioned above, each spacer can have a configuration having a forwardly peaked center portion of a front end and both end portions thereof behind. In general, the metal foil is very thin and has low rigidity, so that it is easily deformed, for example, warped. On the contrary, when spacers having a configuration mentioned above being used, it is possible to support the metal foils so as to be hardly deformed. Therefore, spacers having a configuration mentioned above are preferable in the case where the metal foils are supported on one sides with the other sides thereof being opened, that is, the metal foils are supported in the form of a cantilever, as in the present invention.
(3) In the case where the metal foils are supported in the form of a cantilever by the spacers as mentioned above, it is preferable to form each spacer having a delta configuration, namely, a form of a mountain equipped with a forward apex. With such configuration of the spacer, it is possible to form the spacer easily while holding the propagation passage of X-rays passing along the metal foils.
When such spacers are arranged in a manner that the forward apexes thereof are positioned extremely close to the specimen or the monochromator, the forward apexes make possible to effectively exclude unnecessary X-rays such as scattered X-rays, which may cause a noise in a result of measurement. Thus, a high signal-to-noise ratio is obtained in a result of measurement, resulting in a reliable result of measurement.
(4) An X-ray apparatus according to the present invention comprises an X-ray source for generating X-rays, an X-ray detector for detecting X-rays diffracted by the specimen after being generated by the X-ray source, and a soller slit. In this X-ray apparatus, the soller slit includes a plurality of metal foils stacked with a constant interval between adjacent foils by spacers. End portions of the stacked metal foils on the side opposite to the spacers constitute an opened end portion. The soller slit is arranged in opposing relation to the specimen with the opened end portion of the metal foils being in contact with or in the vicinity of a surface of the specimen.
According to the aforesaid X-ray apparatus including the soller slit having one end portion opened, the specimen can be arranged in opposing relation to the opened end portion. With this constitution , it is possible to collimate X-rays to parallel X-ray beams by the soller slit, while irradiating the specimen with X-rays and deriving diffracted X-rays from the specimen. Since the soller slit is arranged in a position opposing to the specimen and preferably integrally with the same specimen as well, there is no need of providing a space dedicated to only the soller slit, so that the size of the whole X-ray apparatus can be reduced. As a result, it becomes possible to increase the intensity of X-rays to be received by the X-ray counter.
(5) Another X-ray apparatus according to the present invention comprises an X-ray source fo
Fujinawa Go
Omote Kazuhiko
Shimizu Katsuhiko
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Ho Allen C.
Kim Robert H.
Rigaku Corporation
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