Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method of reflective x-ray diffraction measurement of the crystal orientation of a sample, comprising:using a low power x-ray source, and detector, rigidly coupled together in a combination for coordinated rotation over the sample;using a polycapillary collimating x-ray optic coupled to the x-ray source to produce a parallel x-ray beam on the sample from the x-ray source;locating the sample in a sample movement path in and out of which the sample is moveable during measurement;taking reflective x-ray diffraction data at multiple, discrete and unique phi angles wherein the detector detects diffracted x-rays from the sample wherein the sample, and the source/detector combination are re-positioned relative to each other at each of said multiple phi angles, whereby said multiple phi angles are defined by a rotation, over a range of at least twenty degrees, about an axis projecting out of a surface of the sample;automatically rotating the source/detector combination relative to the sample to automatically achieve the multiple, discrete and unique phi angles;providing a pole figure representation. across said multiple phi angles, of said crystal orientation of the sample; andtaking respective reflective x-ray diffraction data at respective discrete positions of the sample, automatically rotating the source/detector combination relative to the sample to automatically achieve multiple, discrete and unique phi angles at each discrete position, and providing a respective pole figure representation across said multiple phi angles for each discrete position. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple phi angles comprise at least one angle of at least 25 degrees. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein diffraction data are taken at not fewer than four unique phi angles. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein diffraction data are taken at not greater than twenty phi angles. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the pole figure represents the crystal alignment, and a full width half maximum value is calculated from the pole figure for crystal alignment quantification. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said taking is carried out continuously along a length of the article, and the sample continuously moves along said length in the sample movement path between the source and detector during said taking. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sample is in the form of a tape or sheet, linearly passing through a measurement zone between the source and detector. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the sample is at least a portion of a superconducting tape. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sample is at least a portion of a superconducting tape.