Characteristics of a robust and portable large area X-ray fluorescence imaging system

A low-cost and portable Energy Disperse X-Ray Fluorescence imaging system is presented. It is capable of scanning large areas (up to 10x10cm(2)) in steps as small as 0.2mm. It consists of a small X-ray tube and a Silicon Drift Detector, both controlled by a homemade software. The spatial resolution is evaluated as a function of the step width and of the X-ray collimator diameter. The time of acquisition per unit of scanned surface is studied as a function of the step width and of the time of acquisition per point. X-ray fluorescence images showing the 2D distributions of some elements in biological samples are presented. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.