A Microcomputer Controlled Diffractometer

Abstract

Automated powder diffractometers are beginning to come into general use. The principal reason for automating or purchasing an automated powder diffractometer is to increase the speed and accuracy of the analysis. Three principal methods are used. The first is that a multisample changer increases the through-put on the instrument since the unit can be operated unattended during the evening. The second is the diffractometer can be scanned at faster rates when digital data are collected, as opposed to the analog method of using a strip chart recorder. The third is the elimination of reading the peak positions and intensities from the strip charts. These readings would typically have to be tabulated manually for later interpretation. Another reason for having an automated powder diffractometer is for experiments where digital data are necessary to make the analysis practical. These experiments include routine quantitative analysis, radial distribution functions, Fourier profile analysis, and signal averaging to bring out very weak diffraction peaks.