Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurement of Cu metal foil using thermal wave detector: A comparative study

Abstract

In this study, we compared two methods for measuring EXAFS spectra, which provide insights into material local structures. The conventional transmission mode used a synchrotron beam as a source and ionization chambers as detectors. Alternatively, we employed thermal wave detectors, specifically a pyroelectric crystal, for a simpler approach. The experiment was conducted using a LiNbO3 crystal at a synchrotron facility operating in the hard X-ray energy range. The chopping frequency of the X-ray beam was set at 1.8 Hz to optimize data collection. We discussed the challenges of selecting the appropriate chopping frequency for EXAFS measurements and the importance of detector sensitivity. We shared results from experiments at various chopping frequencies, highlighting the suitability of pyroelectric detectors. The study demonstrated the feasibility of using pyroelectric detectors for EXAFS measurements, providing valuable data with minimal artifact effects. The findings contribute to the understanding of material local structures and open possibilities for further exploration of thermal wave detectors in continuous theta scan applications.