Patent ID: 7242743

Claim:
An X-ray apparatus for high-resolution X-ray diffraction of thin layers of single crystal, comprising: a sample stage ( 8 ) holding a sample ( 16 ) having a substantially single crystal thin layer ( 18 ) at a front face ( 12 ) with the front face ( 12 ) oriented substantially normally to a predetermined normal direction ( 14 ); a means ( 4 , 6 ) for generating a collimated beam of X-rays ( 11 ) at a predetermined target location ( 15 ) on the sample stage at an angle of between 0° and 60° to the normal direction, the beam having an angular divergence at the sample stage in the range 0.01° to 0.20°; and an X-ray detector ( 10 ) arranged laterally of the sample stage for detecting X-rays scattered by the sample ( 16 ) to a predetermined range of angles to the normal direction ( 14 ), the angles in the predetermined range being in the range from 80° to 90°, wherein the means for generating a collimated beam of X-rays comprises an X-ray source ( 4 ) and a slit ( 6 ) between the X-ray source and the sample stage, wherein the means for generating a collimated beam does not include a monochromator.