Patent ID: 7590220

Claim:
An X-ray detection and inspection system comprising: an X-ray source configured to generate an interrogating X-ray beam, wherein the X-ray beam is directed towards a probe volume in a sample; one or more two-dimensional (2D) area detectors, wherein the one or more detectors are positioned at angles other than 90 degrees with respect to the direction of the interrogating beam and are configured to receive and detect non-circular conic sections of diffracted X-rays from the probe volume; and an acquisition and analysis system configured to generate position and intensity data of the non-circular conic sections such that corresponding mathematical equations of the non-circular conic sections are generated, to identify one of a quasi-monochromatic or monochromatic XRD pattern from the non-circular conic sections, and to determine a position of the probe volume and at least two Bragg diffraction angles from said XRD pattern.