US 12,754,329 B2Granted

XRF analyzer with improved resolution by using micro-reset

AssigneeEvident Scientific, Inc.

InventorMarc Battyani

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Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic system for resetting the voltage of a charge-sensitive pre-amplifier having input from an X-ray detector and output to an ADC. The pre-amplifier gain is increased so that the RMS ADC noise is less than 1% of a representative digitized X-ray signal. The reset logic is configured to avoid loss of X-ray counts and to prevent the pre-amplifier output being outside the allowable input range of the ADC. Reset is initiated when the pre-amplifier output rises above an upper level, which is below the maximum allowable ADC input. Reset is also initiated when a pile-up event is detected, provided that such reset will not cause the pre-amplifier output to fall below the minimum allowable ADC input. At each reset a known amount of charge is removed from the pre-amplifier, and the reset time is continuously adjusted to ensure that the charge amount does not drift.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An X-ray detector reset control circuit used in an X-ray analytical instrument, the instrument is configured to induce and analyze a series of events of induced X-rays, the X-ray detector reset control circuit comprising:

an X-ray detector configured to detect the events of induced X-rays with energy E ke V and send detector analog voltage response signals indicative of the events of X-rays;
a charge-sensitive preamplifier connected to the detector and configured to amplify the response signals and produce amplified signals;
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) having an ADC output level that is a digitization of the amplified signals;
and
a micro-reset unit configured to trigger a reset for a reset time tR to decrease the amplified signals by a charge reset drop produced by the reset time tR;
and
a reset time adjustment unit configured to determine the charge reset drop using a change in the ADC output level and increase the value of reset time tR to adjust the charge reset drop when the determined charge reset drop is less than a desired constant charge reset drop and reduce the value of reset time tR to adjust the charge reset drop when a the determined charge reset drop is greater than the desired constant charge reset drop.

4 more elements

An automated method of measurement of X-rays using an X-ray analytical instrument, the method comprising:

generating analog voltage response signals using charge produced from detected X-ray events;
digitizing the generated analog voltage response signals to a series of digitized signal values corresponding to the detected X-ray events;
resetting the charge produced from detected X-ray events for a reset time using a first signal reset drop when the series of digitized signal values increases to a predetermined upper signal level, wherein the first signal reset drop produces a reset drop in the series of digitized signal values;
and
resetting the charge produced from detected X-ray events using a second signal reset drop when detecting an X-ray pile-up event that includes two of the detected X-ray events occurring within a predetermined X-ray pile-up event detection time, wherein the second signal reset drop is less than the first signal reset drop.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/811,962Filed 12 Jul 2022 · continuation in part
Priority: 28 Mar 2016
Published: US 2022/0342090 A127 Oct 2022
Granted: 6 Oct 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G01T 1/175
Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular type of detector: power supply circuits
G01N 23/00
Investigating or analysing materials by the use of wave or particle radiation
G01N 23/223
By measuring secondary emission from the material: by irradiating the sample with X-rays or gamma-rays and by measuring X-ray fluorescence
G01T 1/17
Measuring radiation intensity: circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular type of detector

Family

Application15/082,647Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 28 Mar 2016
US 2022/0342090 A1Pre-grant publication · published 27 Oct 2022
US 11,415,710 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 2017/0276803 A1Published application
US 12,754,329 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.