The introduction of PANalytical's revolutionary PIXcel3D detector at this year's Pittcon conference and expo (28 February - 5 March 2010, Florida, US), adds a new dimension to X-ray diffraction (XRD). A world first, the PIXcel3D is available as part of the new highperformance Empyrean diffractometer. Using PIXcel3D PANalytical has been able to design a multi-purpose system that handles diffraction measurements on powders, highresolution thin film, nanomaterials and solid objects in one instrument, with no compromise in data quality.
PIXcel3D – The world’s first 3D X-ray detector.
The PIXcel3D detector is the result of PANalytical's exclusive involvement in the Medipix2 collaboration - a consortium of more than 16 leading particle physics research institutes across Europe, headed by CERN.
Dr. Martijn Fransen, Product Marketing Manager XRD said: "We are very proud to be a commercial partner in Medipix2. PANalytical has a track record of innovation and this association will keep us at the forefront of detector technology for many years to come. We are determined to continue developing the best, and most innovative, detectors for all our future XRD customers."
PIXcel3D delivers maximum flexibility for the widest range of applications. It is the only detector that offers four modes:
- In 0D mode it is the point detector with the highest dynamic range
- in 1D mode it is the line detector with the highest dynamic range and the smallest strip size
- in 2D mode it is the area detector with the smallest pixels, the highest dynamic range per pixel, truly independent event registration (no point spread function) and thus highest resolution of all 2D XRD detectors
- in 3D mode it is the only computed tomography (CT) detector on a diffraction platform, with the smallest pixel size and the highest dynamic range, allowing diffractionists to view the internal structure of their solid objects non-destructively, and quantitatively measure properties such as porosity with high accuracy