It is necessary to obtain high-quality data for highly accurate analysis. The characteristics of high-quality data may be high intensity, high resolution, high P/B (peak-to-background ratio), and high S/N (signal-to-noise ratio). Deciding which features are important depends on the purpose of analysis. Therefore, we need to consider measurement conditions after determining the purpose of analysis. Some combinations of sample types and optical systems prevent the desired results from being obtained. Therefore, it is necessary to select the optical systems according to the kinds of samples.
The equipment configurations required to obtain high-quality data will be explained here and in the following articles in this powder X-ray diffraction basic course. The measurement conditions we will be discussing include selection of the equipment, sample preparation, and scan conditions. Selection of the equipment will be covered in this article, and sample preparation and scan conditions will be discussed in the third article.
The following sections in this article explore the factors involved in selecting the proper equipment configurations to obtain high-quality data: 2. Selection of X-ray source, 3. Selection of optical systems, 4. & 5. Setting incident and receiving optical systems, and 6. Detector configuration. These sections are arranged in order from the X-ray source to the receiving optical system.