A portable XRF spectrometer for non-destructive analyses in archaeometry

A new X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer based on a Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) cooled by a Peltier element and on a miniaturised X-ray generator is presented here. Due to the low output capacitance of the SDD and to the integration of the front-end transistor on the detector, this system offers an energy resolution better than 160 eV FWHM at 6 keV (for a shaping time of 2 μs) at a temperature of −15°C. The small size of the detection–excitation module and the elimination of the liquid nitrogen cryostat make this system ideal for portable equipment for non-destructive XRF analysis. The first experimental results obtained in analyses of paintings of different ages and of metal alloys are reported.