Welcome!

Welcome to the x-ray microdiffraction facility at the Advanced Light Source (ALS), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).  X-ray diffraction is a powerful experimental technique that is routinely used to investigate the structural properties of materials.  We use x-rays focused to a spot size of one micron or less to perform x-ray diffraction experiments with very high spatial resolution. X-ray microdiffraction is providing new insights in the fields of materials and environmental science. The ALS X-ray microdiffraction facility is currently undergoing a major upgrade with its move from the bending magnet end-station 7.3.3. to the superbend beamline 12.3.2. The new end-station with its enhanced capabilities including brighter beam, smaller spot size, better strain sensitivity and larger energy range is expected to be operational in June 2007.

Why use x-ray microdiffraction?

- Materials properties such as strength and fatigue resistance are highly dependent on microstructure.  X-ray microdiffraction can measure local variations in stress, orientation, and plastic deformation between grains and within individual grains, helping us understand mechanical properties at this critical length scale.

- In microelectronics and related industries, the dimensions of the constitutive devices range from a few microns to submicron.  Confinement and interfaces make thin film mechanical properties drastically different than bulk materials.  With x-ray microdiffraction, we can measure local characteristics such as texture and stress within individual devices, offering an experimental counterpart to computer simulations.

- Samples such as soils are highly complex and are a challenge for spatially resolved characterization.  X-ray microdiffraction allows for structural identification of small amounts of phases imbedded in a heterogeneous matrix.

For questions and comments about this site, contact Nobumichi Tamura.