SST-mAX50 Tube

SST-mAX50 X-ray tubes are standard on the AxiosmAX-Advanced and optional on all AxiosmAX and Axios FAST wavelength dispersive XRF spectrometers, as well as on the 2830 ZT Wafer Analyzer.

The SST-mAX50 is the most advanced XRF tube in the world, featuring a 50 µm beryllium window in combination with Malvern Panalytical’s revolutionary CHI-BLUE coating, resulting in unprecedented light-element performance, effective corrosion resistance and long-term vacuum tightness. In addition the SST-mAX50 tubes incorporate Malvern Panalytical's groundbreaking ZETA technology which effectively eliminates instrument drift.

 

Conventional X-ray tubes suffer tungsten evaporation from the cathode filament, causing deposits on the inside of the tube's beryllium window. This results in instrument drift, decreased intensities and longer counting times, particularly for light-element analysis. The ZETA technology in SST-mAX eliminates the classical tungsten cathode evaporation, the major contributor to instrument drift. The ZETA technology ensures that the initial performance is maintained throughout a tube’s lifetime. This results in a reduced need for recalibration, minimizing downtime and expert intervention. 

While light-element performance is enhanced by incorporating thinner beryllium windows in X-ray tube designs, thinner windows are traditionally more fragile and vulnerable to corrosion by sample spillage. The CHI-BLUE coating on the beryllium window is a technology breakthrough that completely eliminates these risks, by providing an hermetic seal and excellent resistance against corrosive chemicals. In contrast to many other existing coatings for beryllium, CHI-BLUE is completely stable at elevated temperatures and under prolonged X-ray exposure, ensuring excellent reliability over the tube’s lifetime. 

The SST-mAX50 has a high overall intensity due to the high emission current (up to 160 mA), the high tube power (4 kW), a close optical coupling with sharp tube nose and the availability of various anode types.