Patent ID: 7158608

Claim:
An x-ray diffraction apparatus comprising: an x-ray source for generating an x-ray beam; a monochromator arranged to receive the x-ray beam and to generate a monochromatic x-ray beam from said x-ray beam, wherein the monochromator and the x-ray source are pre-assembled and mounted with respect to each other in an integrated unit such that in use the path length of the x-ray beam from the source to a point on the monochromator is maintained substantially constant; and, a collimator arranged to receive the monochromatic x-ray beam, the collimator having a section towards the end proximate the sample position which includes a monocapillary, wherein an outer diverging region of the monochromatic x-ray beam entering the collimator is reflected only once from an internal surface of the monocapillary so as to be directed to a sample position, and wherein the monocapillary section of the collimator extends over less than half the total length of the collimator.