An apparatus is configured to receive x-rays propagating from an x-ray source. The apparatus includes first and second x-ray diffractors, the second x-ray diffractor downstream from the first x-ray diffractor and first and second x-ray detectors. The first x-ray diffractor is configured to receive the x-rays, to diffract a first spectral band of the x-rays to the first x-ray detector, and to transmit at least 2% of the received x-rays to the second x-ray diffractor. The second x-ray diffractor is configured to receive the transmitted x-rays from the first x-ray diffractor and to diffract a second spectral band of the x-rays to the second x-ray detector. The first x-ray detector is configured to measure a first spectrum of the first spectral band of the x-rays and the second x-ray detector is configured to measure a second spectrum of the second spectral band of the x-rays.

A method of performing x-ray spectroscopy surface material analysis of a region of interest of a sample with an evaluation system that includes a scanning electron microscope (SEM) column, an x-ray detector and an x-ray polarizer, comprising: positioning a sample within a field of view of the scanning electron microscope; generating an electron beam having a landing energy about equal to an ionization energy of the materials within the region of interest of the sample; scanning the region of interest with the electron beam set to collide with the sample thereby generating x-rays emitted from near a surface of the sample, the x-rays including characteristic x-rays and Bremsstrahlung radiation; and detecting x-rays generated while the region of interest is scanned by the electron after the x-rays pass through the x-ray polarizer that blocks a higher percentage of the Bremsstrahlung radiation than the characteristic x-rays.

An X-ray analyzer includes an X-ray source, a straight tube type multi-capillary, a flat plate spectroscopic crystal, a parallel/point focus type multi-capillary X-ray lens, and a Fresnel zone plate. A qualitative analysis is performed over an area on the sample, the flat plate spectroscopic crystal and the Fresnel zone plate are removed from the X-ray optical path, and X-rays are collected by the multi-capillary lens and the sample is irradiated. When analyzing the chemical morphology of an element, the multi-capillary lens retracts from the optical path, the source rotates, and the flat plate spectroscopic crystal and the Fresnel zone plate are inserted on the optical path. A narrow sample area is irradiated by the Fresnel zone plate with X-rays having energy extracted from the flat plate spectroscopic crystal. This makes it possible to carry out accurate qualitative analysis on the sample and perform detailed analysis of more minute parts.

An X-ray analyzer includes an X-ray source, a straight tube type multi-capillary, a flat plate spectroscopic crystal, a parallel/point focus type multi-capillary X-ray lens, and a Fresnel zone plate. A qualitative analysis is performed over an area on the sample, the flat plate spectroscopic crystal and the Fresnel zone plate are removed from the X-ray optical path, and X-rays are collected by the multi-capillary lens and the sample is irradiated. When analyzing the chemical morphology of an element, the multi-capillary lens retracts from the optical path, the source rotates, and the flat plate spectroscopic crystal and the Fresnel zone plate are inserted on the optical path. A narrow sample area is irradiated by the Fresnel zone plate with X-rays having energy extracted from the flat plate spectroscopic crystal. This makes it possible to carry out accurate qualitative analysis on the sample and perform detailed analysis of more minute parts.

A chemical state analysis apparatus 10 includes: an excitation source 11 configured to irradiate an irradiation region A of a predetermined surface in a sample S containing a battery material with an excitation rays for generating characteristic X-rays of the battery material; an analyzing crystal 13 of a flat plate arranged so as to face the irradiation region A; a slit 12 arranged between the irradiation region A and the analyzing crystal 13, the slit being arranged in parallel to the irradiation region A and a predetermined crystal plane of the analyzing crystal 13; an X-ray linear sensor 15 in which linear detecting elements 151 each having a length in a direction parallel to the slit 12 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the slit; a wavelength spectrum generation unit 161 configured to generate a wavelength spectrum based on intensity of the characteristic X-rays detected by the X-ray linear sensor 15; a peak wavelength determination unit 162 configured to determine a peak wavelength which is a wavelength in a peak of the wavelength spectrum; and a chemical state specification unit 163 configured to specify a value for specifying a chemical state of the battery material in the sample S from the peak wavelength determined by the peak wavelength determination unit 162 and a standard curve representing a relation between a value representing the chemical state and the peak wavelength.

A chemical state analysis apparatus 10 includes: an excitation source 11 configured to irradiate an irradiation region A of a predetermined surface in a sample S containing a battery material with an excitation rays for generating characteristic X-rays of the battery material; an analyzing crystal 13 of a flat plate arranged so as to face the irradiation region A; a slit 12 arranged between the irradiation region A and the analyzing crystal 13, the slit being arranged in parallel to the irradiation region A and a predetermined crystal plane of the analyzing crystal 13; an X-ray linear sensor 15 in which linear detecting elements 151 each having a length in a direction parallel to the slit 12 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the slit; a wavelength spectrum generation unit 161 configured to generate a wavelength spectrum based on intensity of the characteristic X-rays detected by the X-ray linear sensor 15; a peak wavelength determination unit 162 configured to determine a peak wavelength which is a wavelength in a peak of the wavelength spectrum; and a chemical state specification unit 163 configured to specify a value for specifying a chemical state of the battery material in the sample S from the peak wavelength determined by the peak wavelength determination unit 162 and a standard curve representing a relation between a value representing the chemical state and the peak wavelength.

An X-ray fluorescence spectrometer of the present invention includes a counting time calculation unit (13) configured to: by a predetermined quantitative calculation method, determine each of quantitative values by using reference intensities of one standard sample and repeatedly perform a procedure of determining each of the quantitative values in a case where only a measured intensity of one of measurement lines is changed by a predetermined value, to calculate a ratio of a change in each of the quantitative values to the predetermined value as a quantitative-value-to-intensity change ratio, the one of the measurement lines having the measured intensity to be changed being different on each repetition of the procedure; and use quantitative-value-to-intensity change ratios calculated thereby for all the measurement lines to calculate a counting time for each of the measurement lines from a quantification precision specified for each of the quantitative values.

A sequential X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to the present invention includes a total analysis time display unit configured to measure, for each kind of analytical sample, a standard sample which contains a component at a known content as a standard value to determine a measured intensity of each measurement line corresponding to the component. The total analysis time display unit is further configured to calculate, for each component, a counting time which gives a specified analytical precision by using the standard value and the measured intensity and to calculate a total counting time as a sum of the counting times of respective components. The total analysis time display unit is configured to calculate a total analysis time as a sum of the total counting time and a total non-counting time and to output the calculated total analysis time and the calculated counting times of the respective components.

A sequential X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to the present invention includes a total analysis time display unit configured to measure, for each kind of analytical sample, a standard sample which contains a component at a known content as a standard value to determine a measured intensity of each measurement line corresponding to the component. The total analysis time display unit is further configured to calculate, for each component, a counting time which gives a specified analytical precision by using the standard value and the measured intensity and to calculate a total counting time as a sum of the counting times of respective components. The total analysis time display unit is configured to calculate a total analysis time as a sum of the total counting time and a total non-counting time and to output the calculated total analysis time and the calculated counting times of the respective components.

The present invention provides an X-ray analysis device and a peak search method capable of realizing highly accurate peak searches without significantly increasing a processing time. Peak search processing includes: a step (S220) for acquiring a profile of a spectrum; a step (S240) for narrowing down a wavelength range where a true value of a peak wavelength (peak intensity) may be present, taking into account statistical fluctuation of a measured value; a step (S250) for measuring the intensity of the X-rays at the long wavelength end, the short wavelength end, and the intermediate wavelength in the narrowed wavelength range; a step (S255) for calculating a quadratic function passing through the respective measured values in the above-described three wavelengths; and a step (S260) for calculating the wavelength of the vertex of the calculated quadratic function as the peak wavelength.