# US 10,748,741 B2 · X-ray analyzer and method for correcting counting rate

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- Number: US 10,748,741 B2
- Document ID: US10748741B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/536,562
- Filed: 2019-08-09
- Published: 2020-02-20
- Granted: 2020-08-18
- Earliest claimed: 2018-08-16
- Assignees: JEOL Ltd.
- Applicants: JEOL Ltd.
- Inventors: Kazunori Tsukamoto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10748741B2

## CPC

- G01T 1/17: Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular type of detector {(pulse-selection circuits H03K, G01R)}
- H01J 37/244: Detectors; Associated components or circuits therefor
- H01J 37/252: Tubes for spot-analysing by electron or ion beams; Microanalysers
- H01J 37/256: using scanning beams
- H01J 2237/24425: Wavelength-dispersive spectrometer
- H01J 2237/24495: Signal processing, e.g. mixing of two or more signals
- H01J 2237/2561: electron
- G01T: MEASUREMENT OF NUCLEAR OR X-RADIATION (radiation analysis of materials, mass spectrometry G01N23/00; tubes for determining the presence, intensity, density or energy of radiation or particles H01J47/00)
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

An X-ray analyzer includes: an X-ray detector that detects an X-ray emitted from a specimen and outputs a signal having a step that has a height corresponding to energy of the X-ray; a pulse generation circuit that converts the signal output from the X-ray detector into a first pulse signal; a pulse-width setting circuit that sets a pulse width; a pulse-width conversion circuit that converts a pulse width of the first pulse signal into the pulse width set by the pulse-width setting circuit to form a second pulse signal; a pulse-height discriminator that discriminates the second pulse signal according to a pulse height of the second pulse signal; a counting circuit that calculates a counting rate of the discriminated second pulse signal; and a counting-loss correction processing unit that corrects the counting rate. The counting-loss correction processing unit corrects the counting rate based on the pulse width.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An X-ray analyzer comprising:
an X-ray detector that detects an X-ray emitted from a specimen and outputs a signal having a step that has a height corresponding to energy of the X-ray;
a pulse generation circuit that converts the signal output from the X-ray detector into a first pulse signal;
a pulse-width setting circuit that sets a pulse width;
a pulse-width conversion circuit that converts a pulse width of the first pulse signal into the pulse width set by the pulse-width setting circuit to form a second pulse signal;
a pulse-height discriminator that discriminates the second pulse signal according to a pulse height of the second pulse signal;
a counting circuit that calculates a counting rate of the discriminated second pulse signal; and
a controller that corrects the counting rate calculated by the counting circuit,
wherein the controller corrects the counting rate based on the pulse width set by the pulse-width setting circuit.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The X-ray analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the X-ray detector includes a proportional counter.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The X-ray analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of spectroscopic elements that disperse the X-ray, wherein
the pulse-width setting circuit sets the pulse width according to each of types of the spectroscopic elements.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The X-ray analyzer according to claim 1, further comprising:
a plurality of spectroscopic elements that disperse the X-ray, wherein
the X-ray analyzer is provided with a plurality of X-ray detectors, and
the pulse-width setting circuit sets the pulse width according to each of combinations of the spectroscopic elements and the X-ray detectors.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The X-ray analyzer according to claim 1, wherein
the controller corrects the counting rate calculated by the counting circuit by using time corresponding to the pulse width set by the pulse-width setting circuit as dead time.

### Claim 6

A method of correcting a counting rate of an X-ray in an X-ray analyzer equipped with an X-ray detector that detects an X-ray emitted from a specimen and outputs a signal having a step that has a height corresponding to energy of the X-ray, the method comprising:
converting the signal output from the X-ray detector into a first pulse signal;
setting a pulse width;
converting a pulse width of the first pulse signal into the set pulse width to form a second pulse signal;
discriminating the second pulse signal according to a pulse height of the second pulse signal;
calculating a counting rate of the discriminated second pulse signal; and
correcting the counting rate of the second pulse signal,
wherein, in the step of correcting the counting rate of the second pulse signal, the counting rate is corrected based on the pulse width set in the step of setting the pulse width.