X-Ray Fluorescence Imaging Based on CdTe Detector Array for Analysis of Various Materials

An X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging system was developed to analyze various materials based on characteristic X-rays emitted from objects exposed to X-ray flux. The XRF system can be used in various industrial fields, such as nuclear fuel analysis, to guarantee combustion stability in the nuclear reactor, glazed material analysis to preserve and restore ceramic cultural assets, impurity measurements in electronic circuits, and so on. In this study, we built an XRF imaging system and performed several material analyses using a lookup table, which contained energy and channel information of the characteristic X-ray peaks of each element. Ceramic specimens coated in various glazes were analyzed and imaged for oriental pottery research. Pigments of various colors were also analyzed and imaged for picture assessment, as were electronic circuits and gold plates. Ceramic, pigment, and metal components in the samples were discriminated by comparing characteristic X-ray peak data on the lookup table. Two-dimensional material images, which showed the material distribution of each sample, were successfully obtained.