Rigaku Corporation

Rigaku Industrial Corporation

Yasujiro Yamada

Shinya Hara

Yoshiyuki Kataoka

Takashi Matsuo

Naoki Kawahara

Makoto Doi

Takashi Shoji

Kouichi Aoyagi

Hisashi Honma

Hisayuki Kohno

Minoru Inoue

Akira Arake

Yoshihisa Yamamoto

Hisashi Homma

Atsushi Morikawa

Takashi Misonoo

Takashi Sakamoto

Kenji Kodama

Masatsugu Kuraoka

Kenji Watanabe

An exclusion module (21) is configured to calculate a coating amount of each component whose measurement element is not contained in the base layers, for each of corresponding measurement lines, on an assumption that that component solely makes up the thin film and to adopt a maximum coating amount as an initial value of the coating amount of that component; and to calculate a coating amount of each component whose measurement element is contained in the base layers, for each of corresponding measurement lines, on the basis of initial values of coating amounts of individual components whose measurement elements are not contained in the base layers, if calculation results for all the corresponding measurement lines give errors, to exclude that component from analysis targets as an unquantifiable component, and in other cases, to adopt a maximum coating amount as an initial value of the coating amount of that component.

X-ray fluorescence spectrometer

Provided are an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer and a control method for an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer which are capable of preventing deterioration and breakage of a sample, and contamination of an inside of an apparatus even when an abnormality occurs in the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The X-ray fluorescence spectrometer includes: a measuring unit including: a moving mechanism configured to move a sample between a standby position and a measurement position; an X-ray source; a detector; and a first control unit; and an information processing unit including: an analysis unit; and a second control unit configured to control the measuring unit by communicating with the first control unit, the first control unit including retreat controller configured to perform retreat control for causing the moving mechanism to retreat the sample present at the measurement position to the standby position when communication between the first control unit and the second control unit is interrupted.

X-ray fluorescence spectrometer and control method for x-ray fluorescence spectrometer

An X-ray fluorescence spectrometer of the present invention includes: a determination module () configured to determine, with respect to every one of measurement lines that correspond to secondary X-rays having intensities to be measured, whether or not a ratio of a theoretical intensity in thin film calculated on the basis of an assumed thickness and known contents of respective components to a theoretical intensity in bulk calculated on the basis of the known contents of the respective components exceeds a predetermined threshold; and a saturation thickness quantification module () configured to, according to a positive determination by the determination module (), calculate a saturation thickness with respect to each of the measurement lines, at which the theoretical intensity saturates, on the basis of the known contents of the respective components and to adopt a largest saturation thickness as a quantitative value of a thickness.

A X-ray fluorescence spectrometer of the present invention simultaneously generates an analytical pulse-height width profile and a narrow pulse-height width profile that are distributions of intensities of secondary X-rays () against scan angles (&#x3b8;) set by an interlocking unit () on the basis of a differential curve which is output by a multichannel pulse-height analyzer (), as well as a predetermined analytical pulse-height width for an analytical line that is a primary reflection line and a predetermined narrow pulse-height width that is narrower than the analytical pulse-height width. Identification of the analytical lines is performed for the analytical pulse-height width profile and the narrow pulse-height width profile, and any analytical line identified only in the narrow pulse-height width profile is added to the analytical lines identified in the analytical pulse-height width profile to obtain an identification result of the analytical lines.

A quantitative analysis condition setting unit () included in a sequential X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to the present invention: performs qualitative analyses of a plurality of standard samples (); sets, on the basis of the qualitative analysis results, a peak measurement angle of each measurement line for analytical samples () in quantitative analysis conditions; and obtains a single virtual profile by synthesizing peak profiles of the plurality of standard samples () subjected to the qualitative analyses and sets, on the basis of the virtual profile and a preset half value width of the peak profile, background measurement angles of each measurement line for the analytical samples () in the quantitative analysis conditions.

A scanning-type X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to the present invention includes a quantitative analysis condition setting unit configured to determine whether or not to add, as an analytical element, a new detected element other than preset sample constituting elements, from an absorption-enhancement effect degree of fluorescent X-rays on an analytical value of an analytical element and an overlapping effect degree by an interfering line on an analytical line of the analytical element, on the basis of qualitative analysis results and semi-quantitative analysis results of standard samples.

A measurement line evaluation unit (): calculates, for all of specified measurement lines, estimated measured intensities by theoretical calculation on the basis of a composition and/or a thickness specified for a thin film; changes, by a predetermined amount, only an estimated measured intensity of one measurement line, and obtains quantitative values of the composition and/or the thickness of the thin film after change of the estimated measured intensity, for each changed measurement line, by a fundamental parameter method; and estimates a quantitative error and/or determines possibility of analysis, on the basis of the obtained quantitative values and the specified composition and/or the specified thickness.

An X-ray fluorescence analyzing method includes irradiating a liquid sample (A) containing hydrogen and at least one element of carbon, oxygen and nitrogen with primary X-rays (); measuring the intensity F of fluorescent X-rays () from each of elements in the sample (A) and having the atomic number 9 to 20, and the intensity S of scattered X-rays () from the sample (A) caused by continuous X-rays in the primary X-rays; and calculating the concentration of each of the elements, based on the ratio between the measured intensity F, and the measured intensity S. The wavelength of the scattered X-rays () is so chosen as to be shorter than that of the fluorescent X-rays () and is so set that the measured intensity S and the mass absorption coefficient thereof are inversely proportional to each other within the range of variation of a composition of the sample (A).

X-ray fluorescence analyzing method

A scanning X-ray fluorescence spectrometer includes a quantitatively analyzing device () which calculates the concentration of hexavalent chrome based on the fact that the peak spectroscopic angle, at which the maximum intensity is attained in Cr&#x2014;K&#x3b1; line (), changes depending on the ratio of the concentration of the hexavalent chrome vs. the concentration of the intensity of the total chrome. A plurality of detecting device () having different resolutions as a combination of a divergence slit (), a spectroscopic device (), a receiving slit () and a detector () is provided such that when the change of the peak spectroscopic angle is to be detected, a detecting device (B) having a higher resolution than that of the detecting device (A), which is selected when the concentration or the intensity of the total chrome is to be determined, is selected.

X-ray fluorescence spectrometer and program for use therewith

Where an object to be analyzed in an X-ray fluorescence analysis is a thin film sample, the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer facilitates selection of proper secondary X-ray lines to be measured to thereby facilitate an accurate analysis. The spectrometer includes a measuring line evaluating means operable to calculate for each specified secondary X-ray line to be measured, a first theoretical intensity at a specified thickness and a composition of each of layers in the thin film and a second theoretical intensity at the thickness and the composition thereof when the thickness or a concentration has been changed by a predetermined quantity, to calculate a precision of a thickness or a precision of the concentration based on the first and second theoretical intensities, and to determine applicability or inapplicability of an analysis using the specified secondary X-ray line to be measured.

To provide an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer capable of providing a stable fluorescent X-ray intensity regardless of the presence of irregularities or the like on a surface of a sample to be analyzed, the X-ray fluorescence spectrometer includes an X-ray source including a primary X-ray limiting diaphragm An aperture of the primary X-ray limiting diaphragm is of a shape effective to allow change in intensity of fluorescent X-rays measured by a detector to be not higher than 1% in the event that a height of the sample surface relative to the X-ray source and the detector changes 1 mm at maximum.

A fluorescent X-ray analyzing apparatus capable of being used as either a wavelength dispersive type or an energy dispersive type is provided, with which the analysis can be performed quickly and accurately. The fluorescent X-ray analyzing apparatus includes a detecting unit for detecting and analyzing fluorescent X-ray (,) emitted from at least one target area (,) of a sample (,) to be analyzed as a result of excitation of such target area (,) with a primary X-ray (,). The detecting unit includes a wavelength dispersive type detecting unit (,) including a spectroscope (,) and a first detector (,), and an energy dispersive type detecting unit (,) including a second detector (,) of an energy dispersive type. The angle &thgr;1 formed between a first path (,) of travel of the fluorescent X-ray from the target area (,) towards the spectroscope (,) and a surface of the sample (,) is equal to the angle &thgr;2 formed between a second path (,) of travel of the fluorescent X-ray from the target area (,) towards the second detector (,) of the energy dispersive type and a surface of the sample (,), but the second path (,) is shorter than the first path (,).

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Takatsuki, Japan

Yasujiro Yamada