X‐ray microprobe‐microscopy

X‐rays have a unqiue interaction with matter that offers many advantages over electrons and other charged particles for the microcharacterization of materials. X‐rays are more efficient in photoejecting inner shell electrons resulting in characteristic x‐ray fluorescence. X‐rays also result in less Bremsstrahlung to produce higher fluorescent signal‐to‐background ratios than obtained with electrons. Detectable limits for x‐ray produced fluorescence could be a few parts per billion which are 10−3 to 10−5 lower than for electron excitation. Energy deposition in the sample from x‐rays is 10−3 to 10−4 less than for electrons for the same detectable limit. High‐brightness storage rings, such as the planned Advanced Photon Source in the 7 GeV class with undulators, will have sources as brilliant as the most advanced electron probes.The highly collimated x‐ray beams from undulators simplify the x‐ray optics required to produce submicron‐sized x‐ray probes having fluxes comparable to electro sources. Such x‐ray m...