In our institute we purchased the Rigaku SmartLab diffractometer in January 2018 after extended and rigorous search within similar devices offered worldwide.
Our SmartLab diffractometer contains the configuration with:
- 9 kW rotating anode x‐ray source,
- in‐plane detector arm,
- parallel beam geometry introduced by incident beam parabolic x‐ray mirror or Bragg‐Brentano parafocusing geometries,
- high resolution settings with Ge(220)x2 channel‐cut monochromator in incident beam and Ge(220)x2 channel‐cut analyzer in diffracted beam,
- all instrumental settings is possible with Kα1 radiation with the use of Johansson monochromator,
- two dimensional hybrid pixel single photon counting HyPix 3000 detector.
Big advantage of SmartLab is in simple and rapid change between individual diffractometer configurations followed by automated and reliable optics and sample alignments. This possibility together with high photon flux of rotating anode source significantly increased the throughput of our laboratory, increased the number of measured samples together with the high quality of measured data.
We use the diffractometer for studies of thin polycrystalline coatings, nanocrystalline materials, severally deformed metals, shape memory alloys, as well as for studies of semiconductor samples and epitaxial thin layers. Besides, it allows unique instrumental possibilities as in‐plane, non‐coplanar diffraction measurements of thin films, wide reciprocal space mapping and many others.
The diffractometer and the controlling software is user friendly and intuitive which is highly beneficial for academical purposes – teaching of students and junior researchers.
So far, since the installation in January 2018, the data measured on our SmartLab diffractometer resulted in, or contributed to, more than 70 scientific papers published in international journals.
Based on above mentioned I have to conclude that we are strongly satisfied with experimental possibilities, measurements and functionality of SmartLab diffractometer.