Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2019
Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Analysis (TXRF) has been proved to be well suited for the energy dispersive analysis of light elements, as B, C, N, O, F, Na, Mg,.,. using a special spectrometer. It is equipped with a Ge(HP) detector offering a sufficient detection efficiency from 180 eV upwards. The obtainable detection limits especially of the light elements are mainly influenced by the excitation source, which should provide a large number of photons with an energy near the K-absorption edge of these elements (from 200 eV upwards). Commercially available X-ray tubes do not offer characteristic X-rays in that range. In former experiments a windowless X-ray tube was built to prevent the low energy X-rays from being attenuated in the Be window. Experiments have been performed using Cu as anode material.