TOTAL REFLECTION X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS USING BEAM-GUIDES (Invited Conference)

H. J. SÁNCHEZ

Berlín, Alemania

Conferencia; EDXRS 2002; 2002

PbTU, European XRS Association

Total reflection x-ray fluorescence analysis (TXRF) is a well established technique for multielemental characterization of trace and ultra-trace elements in almost every kind of sample. It has been implemented in many spectrochemical laboratories as a more sensitive technique as compared with conventional XRF analysis. Although TXRF is a rather simple technique, the experimental setup and alignments are a delicate task and require some special equipments. Recently, the use of plate beam-guides have been proposed to simplify the experimental setup, keeping sensitivity and accuracy, and giving more versatility to the technique. In this work, a brief review of the TXRF technique is presented, the experimental arrangement is shown and some special devices are described. Beam-guides are presented as alternative devices for measurements. Theoretical considerations about the working principles of these devices are made, and calculations of photon transports inside the guides are presented. These results are compared with measurements using standard samples in different experimental conditions. Finally, the perspectives and possible applications of these devices are discussed.