We are honored to have received a 2023 Microscopy Today Innovation award for the AttoMap MicroXRF! We received the award while attending the Microscopy & Microanalysis show in Minneapolis. The system enables low atomic number elemental mapping (down to B) at the highest sensitivity on the market.

The following description of the AttoMap-310 will be published in the upcoming Microscopy Today magazine.

AttoMap-310

The Sigray AttoMap-310 micro x-ray fluorescence (microXRF) provides ultrasensitive, non-destructive quantification of elements ranging from B to U with spot sizes down to 3-5 µm. AttoMap-310 works on the principle of x-ray fluorescence, in which illuminating x-rays are focused onto a sample to generate characteristic x-rays. By analyzing the energies of the x-rays produced, researchers are able to tell both the types and quantities of elements contained in the sample. Rastering the sample with respect to the illumination spot produces microscopic elemental “heatmaps” for all elements simultaneously. 

AttoMap-310 innovations include a patented x-ray source that offers >50X higher brightness than other microXRF x-ray sources. In addition to the increased brightness, the source provides up to five customizable x-ray energies to drastically increase sensitivity up to 3 orders of magnitude over conventional microXRF systems. As a result, the system enables down to sub-parts-per-million (sub-ppm) sensitivities to be achieved for a wide range of elements, even light elements. The x-ray source is paired with proprietary x-ray optics that focus the x-rays to a 3-5 µm spot. 

A key advantage of AttoMap-310 is its superior performance for trace-level low atomic number elements, such as organics (C, O, N) and elements such as F, Cl, and Na. This is enabled through patented innovations in its x-ray source for incorporating novel x-ray target materials (e.g., SiC and Ca) and a unique theta-two-theta geometry, which allows variable incidence angles that range from normal incidence to grazing incidence. The theta-two-theta geometry not only optimizes the beam cross-section to produce more detectable low-Z element photons, but also allows the detector to move much closer to the sample, thereby increasing sensitivity to trace elements. Theta-two-theta is only possible in the AttoMap due to the large working distance of Sigray’s proprietary x-ray optics.

AttoMap-310 has demonstrated significant advantages in applications for battery research, mineralogy and mining, biometallics, and semiconductor. Its capabilities are typically only achievable using synchrotron microXRF, which is difficult to acquire time on and costly to travel to. AttoMap-310 not only offers synchrotron capabilities within the laboratory, but also offers capabilities for light elements that far outperforms most synchrotron ambient microXRF beamlines.