X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYZER AND X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS METHOD

• US 20120051507A1
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation (Hitachi High- Tech Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Science Corporation (Hitachi High- Tech Corporation)
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Kiyoshi, Ikku, Yutaka, Takiguchi, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 8,611,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/44
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/076 X-ray fluorescence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/223 by irradiating the sample with X-rays or gamma-rays and by measuring X-ray fluorescence

Abstract

The X-ray fluorescence analyzer (100) includes: an enclosure (10); a door (20) for putting the sample into and out of the enclosure; a height measurement mechanism (7) capable of measuring a height at the irradiation point; a moving mechanism control unit (9) for adjusting a distance between the sample and the radiation source as well as the X-ray detector based on the measured height at the irradiation point; a laser unit (7) for irradiating the irradiation point with a visible light laser beam; a laser start control unit (9) for irradiating the visible light laser beam by the laser unit (7) when the door is open state; and a height measurement mechanism start control unit (9) for starting the height measurement mechanism to measure the height at the irradiation point when the door is opened.

Claims

1. An X-ray fluorescence analyzer, comprising:

a radiation source for irradiating an irradiation point on a sample with radiation;

an X-ray detector for detecting a characteristic X-ray and a scattered X-ray, which are generated from the sample, to output a signal containing energy information of the characteristic X-ray and the scattered X-ray;

an analyzer for analyzing the signal;

a sample stage on which the sample is to be placed;

a moving mechanism capable of relatively moving the sample on the sample stage and the radiation source as well as the X-ray detector;

an enclosure that houses at least the radiation source, the sample stage, and the moving mechanism;

a door that opens and closes an opening for putting the sample into and out of the enclosure;

a height measurement mechanism capable of measuring a height of the sample at the irradiation point;

a moving mechanism control unit for starting the moving mechanism based on the measured height at the irradiation point so as to adjust a distance between the sample and the radiation source as well as the X-ray detector;

a laser unit for irradiating the irradiation point with a visible light laser beam;

a door open/close detection unit for detecting an open/closed state of the door;

a laser start control unit for starting the laser unit to emit the visible light laser beam when the door open/close detection unit detects that the door is opened, and stopping the laser unit when the door open/close detection unit detects that the door is closed; and

a height measurement mechanism start control unit for starting the height measurement mechanism to measure the height at the irradiation point when the door open/close detection unit detects that the door is opened.

2. An X-ray fluorescence analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the laser unit also functions as the height measurement mechanism.

3. An X-ray fluorescence analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the laser start control unit uses the laser unit as the height measurement mechanism and starts the laser unit to measure the height at the irradiation point with the visible light laser beam when the door open/close detection unit detects that the door is closed and when it is detected that the moving mechanism has been started, and stops the laser unit when it is detected that the moving mechanism has been stopped.

4. An X-ray fluorescence analyzer according to claim 1, wherein:

the laser unit also functions as the height measurement mechanism;

the laser unit comprises a first laser unit for emitting the visible light laser beam and a second laser unit for emitting an invisible light laser beam except the visible light laser beam;

the second laser unit also functions as the height measurement mechanism; and

the laser start control unit starts the first laser unit to emit the visible light laser beam when the door open/close detection unit detects that the door is opened, and stops the first laser unit when the door open/close detection unit detects that the door is closed.

5. An X-ray fluorescence analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism control unit stops the moving mechanism when the height at the irradiation point becomes a predetermined threshold value or smaller.

6. An X-ray fluorescence analyzer according to claim 1, wherein an optical axis of the radiation emitted from the radiation source is coaxial with an optical axis of the laser unit, and the radiation and the visible light laser beam emitted from the laser unit irradiate the sample.

7. An X-ray fluorescence analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising:

an observation system for observing the sample;

a focus switching drive mechanism for switching a focus of the observation system; and

an observation system focus control unit for starting the focus switching drive mechanism, based on the height at the irradiation point measured by the height measurement mechanism, to adjust a focal position of the observation system.

8. An X-ray fluorescence analyzer according to claim 7, wherein:

an optical axis of the radiation emitted from the radiation source, an optical axis of the observation system, and an optical axis of the laser unit are coaxial with one another; and

the radiation and the visible light laser beam emitted from the laser unit irradiate the sample.

9. An X-ray fluorescence analyzer according to claim 8, further comprising:

a mirror for setting the optical axis of the laser unit to be coaxial with the optical axis of the radiation; and

a beam splitter for setting the optical axis of the radiation, the optical axis of the laser unit, and the optical axis of the observation system to be coaxial with one another.

10. An X-ray fluorescence analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the height measurement mechanism is capable of measuring the height at the irradiation point in a state where the sample is placed on the sample stage.

11. An X-ray fluorescence detection method to be used in an X-ray fluorescence analyzer, the X-ray fluorescence analyzer comprising:

a sample stage on which a sample is to be placed;

a moving mechanism capable of relatively moving the sample on the sample stage and a radiation source as well as an X-ray detector;

an enclosure that houses at least the radiation source, the sample stage, and the moving mechanism; and

a door that opens and closes an opening for putting the sample into and out of the enclosure, for irradiating an irradiation point on the sample with radiation from the radiation source so as to detect a characteristic X-ray and a scattered X-ray, which are generated from the sample, with the X-ray detector for outputting a signal containing energy information of the characteristic X-ray and the scattered X-ray and for analyzing the signal,

the X-ray fluorescence detection method comprising;

a laser start controlling step of emitting a visible light laser beam when the door is detected to be opened, and stopping the emission of the visible light laser beam when the door is detected to be closed;

an irradiation point height measuring step of measuring a height at the irradiation point when the door is detected to be opened; and

a moving mechanism controlling step of starting the moving mechanism based on the measured height at the irradiation point to adjust a distance between the sample and the radiation source as well as the X-ray detector.

12. An X-ray fluorescence detection method according to claim 11, further comprising an observation system focus adjustment step of adjusting a focal position of an observation system for observing the sample based on the measured height at the irradiation point.