US 12,436,115 B2
Transmission X-ray diffraction apparatus and related method
Vedran Nicholas Vukotic, LaSalle (CA); Stanislav Veinberg, LaSalle (CA); Alec Iskra, LaSalle (CA); Mohammed Belassel, LaSalle (CA); Matt Williams, LaSalle (CA); Maxime Le Ster, LaSalle (CA); Anton Dmitrienko, LaSalle (CA); and Michael Brauss, LaSalle (CA)
Assigned to PROTO PATENTS LTD., LaSalle (CA)
Filed by PROTO PATENTS LTD., LaSalle (CA)
Filed on Feb. 27, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/175,121.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/268,497, filed on Feb. 25, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0273134 A1, Aug. 31, 2023
Int. Cl. G01N 23/20008 (2018.01); G01N 23/20016 (2018.01); G01N 23/20033 (2018.01); G01N 23/201 (2018.01); G01N 23/205 (2018.01); G01N 23/207 (2018.01)
CPC G01N 23/20008 (2013.01) [G01N 23/20016 (2013.01); G01N 23/20033 (2013.01); G01N 23/201 (2013.01); G01N 23/205 (2013.01); G01N 23/207 (2013.01); G01N 2223/03 (2013.01); G01N 2223/054 (2013.01); G01N 2223/0561 (2013.01); G01N 2223/1016 (2013.01); G01N 2223/307 (2013.01); G01N 2223/31 (2013.01); G01N 2223/315 (2013.01); G01N 2223/316 (2013.01); G01N 2223/323 (2013.01); G01N 2223/331 (2013.01); G01N 2223/50 (2013.01); G01N 2223/64 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A transmission X-ray diffraction (XRD) apparatus, the transmission XRD apparatus comprising:
an X-ray source for generating a direct X-ray beam;
a sample holder for receiving the sample, the sample being positioned to receive the direct X-ray beam when held by the sample holder;
a detector for receiving X-rays transmitted through the sample and outputting an X-ray diffraction pattern therefrom; and
an optical element positioned between the X-ray source and the detector, the optical element comprising a Montel optic and a secondary pin-hole collimator collectively adapted to focus the direct X-ray beam on the detector, wherein a ratio between a dimension of the direct X-ray beam projected on the detector and a sample-to-detector distance is equal or smaller than 1/570 and a ratio between a largest diagonal dimension of the detector and the sample-to-detector distance is greater than 1.
 
19. A method for characterizing a sample, the method comprising:
generating a direct X-ray beam with an X-ray source, the direct X-ray beam being transmitted through the sample before being collected by a detector;
conditioning the direct X-ray beam with an optical element positioned between the X-ray source and the detector, the optical element comprising a Montel optic and a secondary pin-hole collimator collectively adapted to focus the direct X-ray beam on the detector, wherein a ratio between a dimension of the direct X-ray beam projected on the detector and a sample-to-detector distance is equal or smaller than 1/570 and a ratio between a largest diagonal dimension of the detector and the sample-to-detector distance is greater than 1; and
outputting an X-ray diffraction pattern.