# US 2013/0279652 A1 · Measuring apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0279652 A1 - Document ID: US20130279652A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/837,381 - Filed: 2013-03-15 - Published: 2013-10-24 - Earliest claimed: 2012-04-18 - Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd. - Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd. - Inventors: Akira NAMBU; Kazuhiro UEDA; Tsuyoshi YAMAMOTO; Hideaki KOIZUMI; Tomihiro HASHIZUME - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130279652A1 ## CPC - G01N 23/083: the radiation being X-rays - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) ## Abstract Provided is a measuring apparatus which is capable of measuring the distribution of a specific element in a specimen by soft X rays in a state where there is no effect by a staining agent and the like even though the specimen is composed of living single cells or cell aggregates living as they are, extracted in vitro from an organism. A measuring apparatus using soft X rays includes a connection part which is connected with a soft X ray beam line, a mechanism which light-collects a spot size of soft X rays into a micro beam, and a low vacuum vessel having a measurement chamber in which a specimen is disposed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A measuring apparatus comprising: a connection part which is connected with a soft X ray beam line, a mechanism which light-collects a spot size of soft X rays incident from the beam line into a micro beam, and a low vacuum vessel having a measurement chamber in which a specimen irradiated by the light-collected soft X ray is disposed. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a means for dividing the soft X rays such that it is possible to irradiate the soft X rays on the plurality of measurement chambers, wherein the soft X rays are synchrotron radiation light which generates a photon energy from 30 eV to 2,000 eV, and the low vacuum vessel includes a plurality of measurement chambers. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The measuring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the means for dividing the soft X rays is a half mirror composed of a thin plate. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The measuring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the thin plate is a Si thin plate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The measuring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the means for dividing the soft X rays is a metal plate on which a plurality of pinholes is formed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The measuring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the metal plate is a stainless steel plate having a thickness of approximately 1 mm, and the pinholes have a diameter of several mm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism which light-collects the spot size of the soft X rays into the micro beam is a Kirkpatrick-Baez mirror. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mechanism which light-collects the spot size of the soft X rays into the micro beam is a Fresnel zone plate. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of measurement chambers comprises an adjusting mechanism of independently adjusting at least any one of pressure, humidity, oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration, or other gasses. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of measurement chambers comprises a mechanism of adjusting a temperature or a mechanism of irradiating visible lights on the specimen, and an adjusting mechanism of independently adjusting a temperature or an amount of visible lights irradiated. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of measurement chambers comprises at least one of an atmosphere sensor, a temperature sensor, and a light intensity sensor. ### Claim 12 A measuring apparatus comprising: a connection part which is connected with a beam line of a soft X ray source, a mechanism which light-collects a spot size of soft X rays incident from the beam line into a micro beam, a low vacuum vessel which is connected with the beam line, a means for producing a low vacuum state of the low vacuum vessel, a means for dividing an inside of the low vacuum vessel into two or more measurement chambers, a means for dividing soft X rays such that each X ray is irradiated on each of the insides of the divided low vacuum vessels, a specimen stage which mounts a specimen on each of the insides of the divided low vacuum vessels, and a mechanism of detecting a light element which is B, C, N, O, F, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, and S, or a transition metal element which is Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn in the specimen by irradiating the divided soft X ray on each of the specimens. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The measuring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the specimen stage is operated in upper and lateral directions to a proceeding direction of the soft X rays, such that a 2-dimensional image of the specimen is obtained. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The measuring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the 2-dimensional image highlights a distribution of a specific element by fitting a wavelength of the soft X ray into an absorption edge of any one of the elements, in measuring an absorption amount of the soft X ray. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The measuring apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a transmission method, an electron yield method, a conversion electron yield method, or a fluorescence yield method is used for measuring an absorption amount of the soft X ray.