Micro X-ray Fluorescence (microXRF or micro-XRF spectroscopy) is a non-destructive elemental analysis technique that uses focused X-ray optics to achieve micron-scale spatial resolution. MicroXRF enables high-resolution elemental mapping, line scans, and quantitative analysis without sample coating or vacuum requirements, making it ideal for heterogeneous materials.

Conventional XRF provides bulk elemental analysis over millimeter- to centimeter-scale areas. MicroXRF uses focused beams to resolve elemental distributions at the micron scale, enabling detailed analysis of elemental zoning, inclusions, phase boundaries, and layered structures that bulk XRF cannot resolve.

MicroXRF offers greater analysis depth, improved trace-element sensitivity, and no vacuum requirement, making it well suited for large, thick, or non-conductive samples. SEM-EDS provides higher surface spatial resolution but is limited to near-surface analysis and often requires conductive coatings.

The Atlas Apex is a high-performance microXRF spectrometer developed by IXRF Systems for high-resolution elemental mapping, micro-scale chemical imaging, and quantitative X-ray fluorescence analysis in research and industrial environments.

Depending on configuration, the Atlas Apex microXRF system achieves spot sizes down to ~5 µm, enabling detailed micro-XRF elemental mapping of fine features such as grain boundaries, inclusions, reaction fronts, and compositional gradients.

Atlas Apex supports elemental detection from light elements through heavy elements, depending on detector and window configuration. This broad elemental range supports applications in critical minerals, geology, metals and alloys, ceramics, composites, and environmental materials.

Atlas Apex supports small regions of interest through large-area elemental mapping, including full thin sections, drill core slabs, wafers, and industrial components—without stitching artifacts or loss of spatial fidelity.

Yes. The Atlas Apex microXRF platform is engineered to analyze rough, uneven, or non-planar samples, maintaining usable spatial resolution across typical surface height variations encountered in real-world materials.

Atlas Apex can be configured with up to four (4) large-area Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs). Increased detector solid angle improves count rate, detection limits, and microXRF mapping speed, particularly for trace-element and critical mineral analysis.

MicroXRF mapping speed depends on resolution and mapped area, but Atlas Apex is optimized for high-throughput elemental mapping using high-flux X-ray sources, efficient optics, and advanced digital pulse-processing electronics.

Atlas Apex microXRF is widely used for:

• Critical mineral analysis microXRF (REEs, Li-bearing phases, strategic and battery minerals)
• Geological thin-section and mineral mapping
• Failure analysis and inclusion characterization
• Battery materials and energy-storage research
• Environmental, industrial, and advanced materials R&D

Yes. Atlas Apex supports standards-based and fundamental-parameters quantitative microXRF analysis, enabling defensible elemental concentrations suitable for peer-reviewed publications, grant reporting, and regulated industrial workflows.

Atlas Apex is controlled using IXRF’s Iridium Ultra software, which integrates microXRF data acquisition, elemental mapping, quantitative analysis, visualization, and export into a single workflow.

Yes. MicroXRF data can be exported in standard image and numerical formats compatible with scientific publications, grant proposals, regulatory documentation, and industrial reports.

Yes. Atlas Apex is designed, engineered, and supported directly by IXRF Systems, ensuring long-term support, application expertise, and tight integration between microXRF hardware and software.

Yes. The system is widely deployed in shared microXRF and materials characterization facilities due to its robustness, ease of use, and flexible configuration options.

Yes. Atlas Apex is designed to meet applicable X-ray radiation safety and regulatory standards, and IXRF Systems provides supporting documentation for institutional and governmental approvals.