Patent ID: 6678347
Filing Date: 2004-01-13
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A method for quantitatively determining phase composition of a sample mixture that comprises textured polycrystalline materials of multiple phases, said method comprising the steps of:(a) collecting multiple incomplete pole figures for the multiple phases of said sample mixture, by steps that comprise: (i) irradiating a measurement area on the sample mixture with radiation energy from a radiation source; (ii) detecting the radiation energy diffracted from the sample mixture at a detection locus, wherein the detection locus is positioned in such a way as to capture a plurality of diffraction arcs within a single data capture frame; and (v) generating a diffraction image containing multiple incomplete pole figures for the multiple phases; (b) calculating complete pole density distribution for a first set of crystallographic planes (hkl) of a first phase contained by the sample mixture, based on the incomplete pole figures collected on the diffraction image; (c) correcting diffraction intensities collected on the diffraction image for the first set of crystallographic planes (hkl) of the first phase to eliminate crystallographic texture therefrom, by using the complete pole density distribution calculated in step (b); (d) integrating the corrected values of diffraction intensities for the first set of crystallographic planes (hkl) of the first phase; (e) repeating steps (b)-(d) to obtain integrated and corrected diffraction intensities for all phases contained by the sample mixture; and (f) calculating the phase composition of the sample mixture from the corrected and integrated diffraction intensities obtained in steps (d) and (e).