LIGHT-ELEMENT TRACE ANALYSIS BY MEANS OF TXRF USING SYNCHROTRON-RADIATION

Synchrotron radiation is the ideal excitation source for photon induced X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (XRF) of light elements, e.g. B, C, N, O, F, Na, Mg, Al,.. due to its best suited spectral distribution and spectral brightness. Total Reflection S-ray Fluorescence Analysis (TXRF), a special method of energy dispersive XRF offers some advantages in excitation and detection geometry especially for light element detection. A combination of TXRF with synchrotron radiation leads to drastically reduced detection limits. 200 Mg for Mg have been achieved at SSRL, Stanford, California. The principle, the experimental setup, as well as results are described.