By Dectris Ltd.
The use of hybrid-pixel detectors in X-ray Spectroscopy techniques might sound exotic, but already the first generation of MYTHEN and PILATUS detectors were tested for X-ray Fluorescence, EXAFS, and XANES at synchrotron sources. What advantages does this offer? Noise-free performance, large sensor areas, and an ability to discern very weak and very strong signals. These developments improved data and time resolution, and they also enabled even more unique techniques, such as XRF-CT. An equally significant push forward was also made in laboratory applications. The combination of the detectors’ technical specifications, compact size, and availability first opened a path to WD-XRF spectrometers and then continued to X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy. No, this is not a typo: the first hybrid-pixel detectors have been integrated into commercial EXAFS and XANES laboratory spectrometers!
