XRF and PIXE Imaging with few microns Resolution using SLcam® - a Color X-Ray Camera

SLcam® – a full-field energy dispersive portable X-ray camera [1,2], is a combination of a single photon counting CCD with a poly capillary optics objective. The standard CCD matrix consist of 48×48 μm² pixels sensitive for photons from 3 to 18 keV and has an energy resolution of 156 eV (@Mn Kα). The polycapillary optics is used to achieve the spatial resolution guiding the fluorescence photons from the point of origin to the detection pixel. The device allows fast overview over a large detection area with first results visible almost immediately. A dedicated software enables steering the camera and online visualization of the hyper spectral data cube (x,y,E) by displaying regional spectra, element/line maps and overlay images.
With the use of a sub-pixel resolution algorithm the SLcam® spatial resolution becomes limited by the end diameter of a single capillary channel. A one to one optics, with a field of view of 12 × 12 mm², can reach a resolution of 20 μm. This optics has an unlimited depth of sharpness and is ideal to visualize uneven objects. With the use of a conical shaped optics allowing 8 times magnification and a field of view of 1.5 × 1.5 mm² a resolution approaching 1 μm is possible also with laboratory X-ray sources.
We will present recent developments for the SLcam® concerning the sub-pixel resolution, optics aperture, image processing software, and connection to new High-Speed PIXE beamline at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR).

[1] O. Scharf, et al., Analytical Chemistry, 83 (7), 2011, 2532-2538.
[2] I. Ordavo, et al., NIM A, 654 (1), 2012, 250-257.