X-ray beam conditioning
AssigneeJordan Valley Semiconductors Ltd.
InventorsPaul Anthony Ryan, John Leonard Wall, John Spence
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An X-ray optical device includes a crystal containing a channel, which passes through the crystal and has multiple internal faces. A mount is configured to hold the crystal in a fixed location relative to a source of an X-ray beam and to shift the crystal automatically between two predefined dispositions: a first disposition in which the X-ray beam passes through the channel while diffracting from one or more of the internal faces, and a second disposition in which the X-ray beam passes through the channel without diffraction by the crystal.
Claims9
An X-ray optical device, comprising:
- a crystal containing a channel, which passes through the crystal and has multiple internal faces;
- a mount, which is configured to hold the crystal in a fixed location relative to a source of an X-ray beam and to shift the crystal automatically between two predefined dispositions by rotating the crystal about an axis:
- a first disposition in which the X-ray beam passes through the channel while diffracting from one or more of the multiple internal faces;
- and
- a second disposition in which the X-ray beam passes through the channel without diffraction by the crystal;
- an automatically-controlled actuator, which is energized in order to rotate the crystal about the axis into one of the two predefined dispositions, wherein the automatically-controlled actuator is energized in order to rotate the crystal into the second disposition;
- and
- a stop, which engages the mount in the first disposition and is adjustable so as to fix an angle of entry of the X-ray beam into the channel.
An X-ray optical device, comprising:
- a crystal containing a channel, which passes through the crystal and has multiple internal faces;
- a mount, which is configured to hold the crystal in a fixed location relative to a source of an X-ray beam and to shift the crystal automatically between two predefined dispositions:
- a first disposition in which the X-ray beam passes through the channel while diffracting from one or more of the multiple internal faces;
- and
- a second disposition in which the X-ray beam passes through the channel without diffraction by the crystal;
- and
- at least one X-ray mirror, which is configured to collect X-rays emitted from the source so as to generate and direct the X-ray beam into the channel of the crystal,
- wherein the at least one X-ray mirror comprises:
- a first X-ray mirror, which is positioned so as to intercept the X-rays emitted from the source at a first angle so as to direct a first beam into the channel of the crystal;
- and
- a second X-ray mirror, which is positioned so as to intercept the X-rays emitted from the source at a second angle, different from the first angle, so as to direct a second beam toward a target while bypassing the channel.
A method for conditioning an X-ray beam, comprising:
- positioning a crystal containing a channel, which passes through the crystal and has multiple internal faces, so that the X-ray beam enters the channel;
- and
- shifting the crystal automatically between two predefined dispositions by rotating the crystal about an axis by an automatically-controlled actuator, which is energized in order to rotate the crystal about the axis into one of the two redefined dispositions, while a return spring returns the crystal to the other of the two predefined dispositions when the automatically-controlled actuator is released, the two predefined dispositions comprising:
- a first disposition in which the x-ray beam passes through the channel while diffracting from one or more of the multiple internal faces;
- and
- a second disposition in which the X-ray beam passes through the channel without diffraction by the crystal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.