X-ray inspection apparatus for inspecting semiconductor wafers

An x-ray inspection system, comprising:

• an x-ray source;
• a sample support supporting a sample to be inspected, wherein the sample support comprises a support surface extending in a horizontal plane;
• an x-ray detector;
• a sample support positioning assembly for positioning the sample support relative to the x-ray source or x-ray detector, wherein the sample positioning assembly comprises a vertical positioning mechanism for moving the sample support in a vertical direction, orthogonal to the horizontal plane, and a first horizontal positioning mechanism for moving both the sample support and the vertical positioning mechanism in a first horizontal direction;
• and
• a detector positioning assembly for positioning the x-ray detector relative to the x-ray source, wherein the detector positioning assembly comprises a horizontal detector positioning mechanism for moving the detector in at least two non-parallel directions within a horizontal plane, and a detector tilting mechanism configured to allow the detector to be tilted from the horizontal plane about at least two non-parallel axes.