A breadboard setup constructed at MOXTEK, Inc. is capable of capturing both XRF and XRD information using a charge-coupled device (CCD) as the x-ray detector. This preliminary setup will lead to a prototype simultaneous XRD/XRF instrument. NASA is funding the instrument’s construction because of its capabilities and small size; it could be used for future Mars missions for rock analysis. The in...

The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) is one test used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine if a waste material is hazardous; the TCLP test is widely used by the environmental testing community. The elements of concern for toxicity are arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, and silver. As an environmental forensic laboratory, the N...

Micro-XRF is a significant tool for the analysis of small regions. A micro-X-ray beam can be created in the laboratory by various focusing X-ray optics. Previously, nondestructive 3D-XRF analysis had not been easy because of the high penetration of fluorescent X-rays emitted into the sample. A recently developed confocal micro-XRF technique combined with polycapillary X-ray lenses enables depth...

Quantitative and semi–quantitative procedures using a portable energy dispersive X–ray fluorescence spectrometer (portable XRF) were applied to geochemical studies in fault rocks, lake sediments, soils, including paleotsunami deposits. The results obtained are as follows:

Bone lead measurements can assess long-term lead dosimetry because the residence time of lead in bone is long. Bone lead measurements thus complement blood and plasma lead measurements, which reflect more short-term exposure. Although the noninvasive, in vivo measurement of lead in bone by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) has been under development since the 1970s, its use is still largely confined to ...

Iodine is enriched and stored in the thyroid gland. Due to several factors, the size of the thyroid iodine pool varies both between individuals and within individuals over time. Excess iodine as well as iodine deficiency may promote thyroid cancer. Therefore, knowledge of iodine content and distribution within thyroid cancer tissue is of interest. X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) and secondary...

X-ray based metrology techniques have demonstrated their capabilities for the measurement of critical process parameters on complex microelectronic thin film structures such as layer crystallinity or texture analysis (X-ray Diffraction, XRD), multilayer thickness (X-ray Reflectivity, XRR), material composition (X-ray Fluorescence, XRF) [1]. Achieving the X-ray beam spatial resolution and photon...

An electron microprobe is an electron microscope designed for the non-destructive x-ray microanalysis and imaging of solid materials. It is essentially a hybrid instrument combining the capabilities of both the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an x-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF), with the added features of fine-spot focusing (~ 1 micrometer), optical microscope imaging, and precision...

This paper discusses several rapid site characterization (RSC) technologies that can be used at marine sediment sites, including X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for metals, ultraviolet fluorescence (UVF) for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, QwikSed bioassay for assessing toxicity, and other techniques. Examples are provided to illustrate the efficacy of applying RSC tools to different stages of the E...