There is presented a screening system and a corresponding method for screening an item. The screening system includes a detection apparatus (100), a rotatable platform (310) to receive the item, and a mechanical arrangement (320, 330). The detection apparatus has an emitter portion to generate a primary beam of ionising radiation and a detector portion to detect an absorption signal and at least one of a diffraction signal and a scattering signal. The mechanical arrangement is adapted to translate the detection apparatus along a translation axis to scan the item with the primary beam. The screening system may be used for identifying restricted or illicit substances that may be present in some luggage or in mail.

Apparatus for X-ray scatterometry includes an X-ray source, which directs an X-ray beam to be incident at a grazing angle on an area of a surface of a sample, and an X-ray detector measures X-rays scattered from the area. A knife edge is arranged parallel to the surface of the sample in a location adjacent to the area so as to define a gap between the surface and the knife edge and to block a portion of the X-ray beam that does not pass through the gap. A motor moves the knife edge perpendicular to the surface so as to control a size of the gap. An optical rangefinder receives optical radiation reflected from the surface and outputs a signal indicative of a distance of the knife edge from the surface. Control circuitry drives the motor responsively to the signal in order to regulate the size of the gap.

A compact, low-cost system for the detection of counterfeit or sub-potency pharmaceuticals is implemented by use of a low power X-ray source, an incident collimator containing a series of concentric, non-parallel slits, receiving collimators containing a series of concentric, non-parallel slits, additional collimators to limit tangential divergence and a single, near room temperature energy dispersive detector that sums the plurality of diffracted x-ray beams. In this system, the tradeoff between spectral resolving power and the diffracted intensity is eliminated.

Also provided are methods to determine the optimal diffraction angle for a given test material, determine the instrument geometry and design parameters, and assess the system performance and sensitivity to alignment errors.

A high resolution grazing incidence X-ray diffraction technique for measuring residual stresses and their gradients as a function of depth in thin film materials on substrates or in bulk materials is disclosed. The technique includes positioning a material relative to an X-ray source and an X-ray detector, performing an Omega scan to determine an Omega offset, setting the incidence angle at a first target incidence angle based on the Omega offset and greater than the critical angle of the material, performing a grazing incidence X-ray diffraction scan, analyzing the results to identify diffraction peaks, selecting a diffraction peak, setting the incidence angle at a second target incidence angle based on the Omega offset and a desired penetration depth, performing two theta scanning on a range of two theta values around the selected diffraction peak, performing refraction correction, and determining residual stress values for the material.

A high resolution grazing incidence X-ray diffraction technique for measuring residual stresses and their gradients as a function of depth in thin film materials on substrates or in bulk materials is disclosed. The technique includes positioning a material relative to an X-ray source and an X-ray detector, performing an Omega scan to determine an Omega offset, setting the incidence angle at a first target incidence angle based on the Omega offset and greater than the critical angle of the material, performing a grazing incidence X-ray diffraction scan, analyzing the results to identify diffraction peaks, selecting a diffraction peak, setting the incidence angle at a second target incidence angle based on the Omega offset and a desired penetration depth, performing two theta scanning on a range of two theta values around the selected diffraction peak, performing refraction correction, and determining residual stress values for the material.

A high resolution grazing incidence X-ray diffraction technique for measuring residual stresses and their gradients as a function of depth in thin film materials on substrates or in bulk materials is disclosed. The technique includes positioning a material relative to an X-ray source and an X-ray detector, performing an Omega scan to determine an Omega offset, setting the incidence angle at a first target incidence angle based on the Omega offset and greater than the critical angle of the material, performing a grazing incidence X-ray diffraction scan, analyzing the results to identify diffraction peaks, selecting a diffraction peak, setting the incidence angle at a second target incidence angle based on the Omega offset and a desired penetration depth, performing two theta scanning on a range of two theta values around the selected diffraction peak, performing refraction correction, and determining residual stress values for the material.

An apparatus includes a plurality of stacked flat Bragg diffractors having at least a first flat Bragg diffractor and a second flat Bragg diffractor. The first and second flat Bragg diffractors are positioned sequentially along an x-ray propagation axis of an x-ray beam. The x-ray beam includes x-rays and has an angular beam divergence less than 30 mrad in at least one direction.

A device for measuring short-wavelength characteristic X-ray diffraction based on array detection, and a measurement and analysis method based on the device are provided. An array detector of the device only detects and receives a diffraction ray which is diffracted by a material of a to-be-measured part inside a sample and passes through a through hole of a receiving collimator, and rays passing through a positioning hole. The to-be-measured part inside the sample is placed at the center of the diffractometer circle of the device. The method is performed with the device. With the present disclosure, a diffraction pattern of a part inside the sample with a centimeter thickness, i.e. Debye rings, can be rapidly and non-destructively measured, thereby rapidly and non-destructively measuring and analyzing crystal structures, and its crystal structural change of the part inside the sample, such as phase, texture, and stress.

The present invention relates to an X-ray analysis apparatus and an X-ray analysis method for analysing a sample. The X-ray analysis method involves using a first slit between the sample and a position sensitive X-ray detector to analyse the sample, including calculating a detection angle based on a distance L.sub.1 between the first slit and the X-ray detector, and the position of the first detection element in the array of detection elements. The X-ray analysis apparatus comprises a processor that is configured to analyse data from an X-ray detector comprising an array of detection elements. The processor is configured to receive data comprising an X-ray intensity detected at the first detection element of the array of detection elements and calculate the detection angle based on the distance L.sub.1 between the first slit and the X-ray detector, and the position of the first detection element in the array of detection elements.

An X-ray diffraction apparatus for high resolution measurement combines the use of an X-ray source with a target having an atomic number Z less 50 with an energy resolving X-ray detector having an array of pixels and a beta radiation multilayer mirror for selecting the K-beta radiation from the X-ray source and for reflecting the K-beta radiation onto the sample where it is diffracted onto the energy resolving X-ray detector. The sample may in particular be in transmission. The sample may be a powder sample in a capillary.