UQ orders the highest flux XRD in Australia

AXT has won a competitive tender to supply a high-end X-ray diffractometer (XRD) to The University of Queensland (UQ). The system that won the tender is a 9 kW Rigaku SmartLab featuring a rotating anode X-ray generator.

The system has been tailored to the analysis of thin films, ultrathin films and epitaxial films, but will be equally at home delving into the structure of powders and other solid samples. In combination with the high-powered X-ray generator, it is said to provide high resolution and enable measurements to be completed faster than lower powered machines.

The product has also been specified with the in-plane arm and 5-axis goniometer. This allows another plane of analysis, further enhancing the system’s ability to analyse thin films, especially where the film has a particular orientation.

The system’s next-generation HyPix-3000 two-dimensional semiconductor detector features a large active area, small pixel size and resultant high spatial resolution. Its high count rate and zero background are well suited to the high-flux X-ray generator, enhancing the system’s ability to generate fast and accurate results. It can seamlessly switch between 2D, 1D and 0D modes with the click of a mouse.

UQ has additionally ordered the optional battery attachment, which will enable the university to conduct high-level research into rechargeable batteries. The ability to understand how a system behaves both during charging and discharging allows researchers to more quickly develop and refine new battery chemistries.

AXT’s Simon McCall said Rigaku has been a pioneer in rotating anode technology, thus giving users a big advantage. He added that the technology “futureproofs the system by giving it an improved chance of being able to deal with new applications and new materials that we may not even be aware of yet”.

When installed later this year, the system will be the highest flux XRD in Australia, giving UQ the most powerful diffractometer for materials science applications for characterising powders and thin films in the country.