Patent ID: 8243878

Claim:
A method for analysis, comprising: directing a converging beam of X-rays toward a surface of a sample having first and second crystalline layers, with different, respective crystal characteristics; sensing the X-rays that are diffracted from the sample while resolving the sensed X-rays as a function of angle so as to generate a first diffraction spectrum comprising at least a first diffraction peak due to the first layer and a second diffraction peak due to the second layer; positioning a beam blocker in the converging beam so as to block a range of angles in the converging beam that corresponds to the first diffraction peak; sensing the X-rays that are diffracted from the sample while the beam blocker is positioned in the converging beam so as to generate a second diffraction spectrum comprising at least the second diffraction peak while the first diffraction peak is at least partly blocked; and analyzing at least the second diffraction spectrum so as to identify a characteristic of at least the second layer.