X-Ray Fluorescence Technique

May 6, 2015

Historical Background
The British physicist and chemist Henry Moseley rst
used X-ray uorescence to make sense of the periodic
table of elements in 1913. By shooting X-rays at certain compounds he observed a unique spectra lines
of the withdrawing X-rays for each compound. Later
on, he laid the foundation for identifying elements in
X-ray spectroscopy by establishing a relationship between energy and the atomic number, which became
the basis of X-ray spectrometry.[5]

How does XRF work?

Due to the high energy of the incident X-rays, the
electron can come from the inner shells of the atom.
This energy has typically energies in the range of Xrays.

This process is also called X-ray uorescence

and the emitted energies are characteristic for the

involved atom. The emission if the characteristic Xrays can be used for the determination of elemental composition of samples but also for the analysis
of coating systems according to their thickness and
composition.
The special advantage of the X-ray uorescence is
the good repeatability and reproducibility. The high
precision is result of the small contribution of statis-

Figure 1: The principle of XRF and the typical XRF

tical errors caused by the high count rate.

detection arrangement

The peak intensity of every peak depends on the

amount of atoms of this element in the analyzed volume, while a set of specic peaks from dierent energies is the ngerprint and reveals the presence of
an element (Fig. 2). This allows the calculation of
the weight fractions of existing elements. A limit of
this technique is that very light elements cannot be
analyzed due to the very low energy of their charac-

Figure 2:

Example of a XRF spectrum.

Figure 3:

A set of

Schematic of a Energy Dispersive Spec-

troscopy XRF

peaks indicates the presence of an specic element,

meanwhile a high count of characteristic X-rays indicates the amount of such element.

these pairs separate; hole to n-type, electron to ptype, and create a voltage across the diode and cur-

teristic radiation[4]. Another obstruction to the char-

rent increases. The analog current is measured and

acterization of the element distribution of a sample

converted to a digital signal to register.[7]

is that the interference eects among elements can

make some other elements invisible to the detector,
or impossible to accurately quantify.

i.e.

XRF

Dierent

System

Modern XRF systems include basically three compo-

peaks can be attributed to unrelated elements.

nents: an x-ray source, a detector, and a signal processing unit.

Preparation of the sample

The irradiated sample respond to the

interaction with x-rays by uorescing, or producing

The analyzed material often has to be `destructively'

their own x-rays whose energy levels and abundance

prepared by cutting, grinding, deformation or polish-

diers from element to element. The XRF detector

ing in case of large sample areas to get homogeneous

captures the uorescent x-rays, counting each and

samples which then represents the material that has

identifying their energy levels.

to be characterized or to get a sample that ts into

ing unit takes the detector information and produces

the sample holder of the instrument.

spectrum.

The signal process-

Additional software processing converts

the spectrum into element specic estimates of the

X-Ray source and detector

concentrations present. (Fig. 3)

A model for an X-ray detector is a semiconductor-

Applications

scintillator.

The scintillator is used to convert and

multiply the incoming X-rays to visible light so that

X-ray uorescence is used in a wide range of appli-

the photo-diode can register it.

Once the X-ray is

cations, including research in igneous, sedimentary,

softened into lower energy light it passes through

and metamorphic petrology, soil surveys, measuring

the pure silicon detector.

grade of ore at mining, cement production, ceramic

X-rays do not create

electron-hole pairs in the silicon detectors.

How-

and glass manufacturing, quality control at metal-

ever, they do separate out some electrons from their

lurgy, analysis of particulate matter on air lters

ground-state orbitals and it is the interaction between

at environmental studies, petroleum industry and

these electrons that create electron-hole pairs. Then,

eld analysis in geological and environmental studies.

This technique is particularly well suited for investi-

ticular hues. The nature of the x-rays allowed to map

gations that involve bulk chemical analysis of major

the elements used for undercoating.[6] Another exam-

elements (Si, Ti, Al, Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca, Na, K, P) in

ple of the application of the XRF technique, in the

rock and sediment, and analysis of trace elements (in

eld of biology, is the analysis of leaves from a mul-

abundances of more than 1 ppm).

berry plant, which identied the accumulation of calcium containing nodules as the leaves get older. The

150m in diame-

F P XRF

nodules are typically in the order of

The Field Portable - XRF can be used for both the

and performance of silkworms, for which the mul-

direct in situ non-destructive analysis of samples and

berry leaves are a valuable food source.[2] The XRF

as a 'mobile laboratory'.

technique can be also used for quality control and de-

ter. Such research gives information from the growth

The in situ analysis us-

ing the XRF technique can make an essential contri-

fect analysis in electronics industry.

bution to a wide range of projects including; analy-

an electronic device allows inner components to be

sis of soils and assessment of agricultural land and

analyzed, and would recognize circuits that would be

contaminated land, sorting scrap metal and plastics

invisible to standard optical techniques.[1]

to increase value of recyclable materials, geochemi-

A mapping on

Conclusion

cal mapping and exploration to locate mineralization

deposits, environmental monitoring related to air pollution, archaeological studies and the classication of

As a conclusion, the X-ray uorescence analysis as

artifacts, and in situ geochemical studies with X ray

an analytical method is used in order to study the

spectrometers on mars within dierent missions such

elemental distribution and composition of a bulk sys-

as the 2004 NASA Mars Express Beagle 2 mission.

tem or a coating system.The XRF technique permits

the acquisition of data with the possibility of repeat
the same experiment or apply other techniques to the

SR XRF

same samples. This technique is used for many areas

The advantages of the use of synchrotron light, which

in the knowledge, were the analysis over the composi-

is high energetic radiation obtained from oscillations

tion can be enhanced depending on the requirements

of an electron beam, as source of X-rays includes the

needed. Dierent technological advances like the syn-

ability to produce a highly focused beam and the op-

chrotron radiation and the portable version of the X-

tion to tune the incident energy to obtain chemical

ray uorescence technique, are variations of the XRF

characterization.

that allows to acquire specic data in order to met

With a micro-focused beam, the

the requirements of a possible project.

chemical information from a microscopic scale would

be obtained, technique that is also known as Synchrotron Radiation-XRF (SR

References

XRF ).

The use of the XRF beam-line constructed at the

LNLS, allows to map the distribution of mineral

[1] Quality control and defect analysis in the elec-

phases of a sample rock by combining dierent sets

tronics industry unsing micro-xrf.

of elemental maps made of both traces and major

elements and recognize the distribution and structure of a deep crustal sample[3]. The information ob-

[2] Simon FitzGerald. New dimensions in micro-xrf

tained from the elemental maps could be compared

with images acquired from SEM analysis.The

Application

note, HORIBA Scientic.

elemental analysis.

XRF

G.I.T. Laboratory Journal,

47-48 2005.

is suited for analysis of archeology specimens and museum objects. The analysis of a colored illustration

[3] Jorge N. Hayek and Fabio Ferri. Determination

in a Nepalese manuscript was carried out in order to

of the 3d melts distribution in deep crustal en-

understand the types of pigments used to obtain par-

claves by micro-xrf analysis and implications on

physical crustal anisotropy.

Undergraduate the-

sis, Universidad de los Andes, November 2014.

[4] Haschke. Michael. Laboratory Micro-X-Ray Flu-

orescence Spectroscopy. Springer, 2014.

[5] Erin Reichwein and Bryce Burgess. X-ray uorescence. University of California, 2014.
[6] Aaron N. Shugar and Jennifer L. Mass. Handheld

XRF for Art and Archaeology. Leuven University

Press, 2012.
[7] Karl Wirth and Andy Barth. X-ray uorescence
(xrf ). Macalester College.