Patent ID: 7236566

Claim:
An x-ray diffraction apparatus for measuring a known characteristic of a sample of a material in an in-situ state, comprising: an x-ray source for emitting substantially divergent x-ray radiation; a collimating optic disposed with respect to the x-ray source for producing a substantially parallel beam of x-ray radiation by receiving and redirecting the divergent paths of the divergent x-ray radiation toward the sample, the collimating optic employing multiple total external reflections as its primary transmission technique; and first and second point x-ray detectors for collecting radiation emitted from the sample, wherein the first x-ray detector is fixed in position to measure a diffraction peak determined according to the a-priori knowledge, and wherein the second x-ray detector is fixed in position to measure off the diffraction peak determined according to the a-priori knowledge; wherein the source and detectors are fixed, during operation thereof, in positions relative to each other and in at least one dimension relative to the sample according to a-priori knowledge about the known characteristic of the sample; and further comprising at least one angular filter, having multiple, parallel capillaries employing total external reflection, the at least one angular filter affixed to the first and/or second x-ray detectors for limiting the angles from which the radiation is collected by the respective detector.