A sample inspection apparatus includes a source of electromagnetic radiation, a beam former for producing a substantially conical shell of the radiation with the conical shell being incident on a sample to be inspected, a detection surface arranged to receive diffracted radiation after incidence of the conical shell beam upon the sample to be inspected, and an unfocused collimator provided at or close to the detection surface and having a grid structure formed of cells which each stare at different portions of the conical shell.

A sample inspection apparatus includes a source of electromagnetic radiation, a beam former for producing a substantially conical shell of the radiation with the conical shell being incident on a sample to be inspected, a detection surface arranged to receive diffracted radiation after incidence of the conical shell beam upon the sample to be inspected, and an unfocused collimator provided at or close to the detection surface and having a grid structure formed of cells which each stare at different portions of the conical shell.

A method for controlling the crystallographic orientation of at least one grain of a turbo engine part. The method includes emitting a beam of electromagnetic radiation through an elementary volume of the part and record diffraction information on the electromagnetic radiation passing through the part. This step is repeated on a given area of the part. The method further includes determining the crystal spatial orientation of each of said elementary volumes and deducing the presence of at least one first crystallographic grain for which the elementary volumes are oriented according to the same crystallographic orientation. The method further includes calculating the angular difference between the crystal spatial orientation of said first grain and a predetermined direction taken from the part and comparing it to a first predetermined threshold value and determining a state of use of the part.

An X-ray analysis assistance device with an input and operation device 24 for arbitrarily inputting and setting the value of one from among the distance L between a sample S and a two-dimensional detector 2 and the maximum detection range Xmax for X-rays scattered or diffracted by the sample S, and a central processing unit 20 for automatically setting the other setting item on the basis of the value of the one setting item set by the input and operation device 24. Further, the maximum measurement frame Hmax for the X-rays is displayed on a display screen 22 of a display device 21 on the basis of the distance L and maximum detection range Xmax. Additionally, an X-ray detection area A indicating the range within which it is possible for the detection surface of the two-dimensional detector 2 to detect X-rays is displayed on the display screen 22 of the display device 21.

An X-ray analysis assistance device with an input and operation device 24 for arbitrarily inputting and setting the value of one from among the distance L between a sample S and a two-dimensional detector 2 and the maximum detection range Xmax for X-rays scattered or diffracted by the sample S, and a central processing unit 20 for automatically setting the other setting item on the basis of the value of the one setting item set by the input and operation device 24. Further, the maximum measurement frame Hmax for the X-rays is displayed on a display screen 22 of a display device 21 on the basis of the distance L and maximum detection range Xmax. Additionally, an X-ray detection area A indicating the range within which it is possible for the detection surface of the two-dimensional detector 2 to detect X-rays is displayed on the display screen 22 of the display device 21.

A sample inspection apparatus irradiates a sample with a conical shell of X-ray or similar radiation generating a plurality of Debye rings originating from a circular path on the sample. The apparatus is provided with two detectors. A first detector receives diffracted radiation and a second detector receives radiation which is transmitted through a coded aperture provided at a detection surface of the first detector.

A sample inspection apparatus irradiates a sample with a conical shell of X-ray or similar radiation generating a plurality of Debye rings originating from a circular path on the sample. The apparatus is provided with two detectors. A first detector receives diffracted radiation and a second detector receives radiation which is transmitted through a coded aperture provided at a detection surface of the first detector.

Methods and systems for measuring structural and material characteristics of semiconductor structures based on wavelength resolved, soft x-ray reflectometry (WR-SXR) at multiple diffraction orders are presented. WR-SXR measurements are simultaneous, high throughput measurements over multiple diffraction orders with broad spectral width. The availability of wavelength resolved signal information at each of the multiple diffraction orders improves measurement accuracy and throughput. Each non-zero diffraction order includes multiple measurement points, each different measurement point associated with a different wavelength. In some embodiments, WR-SXR measurements are performed with x-ray radiation energy in a range of 10-5,000 electron volts at grazing angles of incidence in a range of 1-45 degrees. In some embodiments, the illumination beam is controlled to have relatively high divergence in one direction and relatively low divergence in a second direction, orthogonal to the first direction. In some embodiments, multiple detectors are employed, each detecting different diffraction orders.

Molecular structure may be determined based on structure factors solved from the diffraction pattern and the electron microscopy image of the sample. In particular, the amplitudes of the structure factors may be determined based on intensities of diffraction peaks in the multiple diffraction patterns. The phases of the structure factors may be determined based on electron microscopy images and the intensities of the diffraction peaks.

Molecular structure may be determined based on structure factors solved from the diffraction pattern and the electron microscopy image of the sample. In particular, the amplitudes of the structure factors may be determined based on intensities of diffraction peaks in the multiple diffraction patterns. The phases of the structure factors may be determined based on electron microscopy images and the intensities of the diffraction peaks.