In Simple Terms
Rigaku has introduced a machine that can check what very small spots on a material are made of, while also scanning much larger areas. A camera helps it aim the X-rays at the spot being examined, even when the sample’s surface is uneven. It can also study thin layers and estimate their thickness.
Why Small Samples Need a Different Kind of Measurement
In electronics, batteries, and advanced materials, a tiny component or thin layer can affect how a product performs. But finding out what a sample is made of is not always a matter of taking one overall measurement. An analyst may need to identify the elements in a minute spot, check whether a layer varies in thickness, or determine what an unexpected particle inside a material contains. Rigaku, a company within Rigaku Holdings Group that makes X-ray analysis systems, announced the launch of its Qualana instrument for micro-area elemental analysis on October 24, 2026.
Why Small Samples Need a Different Measurement
When the area under examination is extremely small, it is not enough simply to bring an instrument close to the sample. The X-rays must hit the selected spot precisely, and the instrument must collect a signal that can reveal which elements are there. This becomes more challenging as the beam is narrowed, because the signal coming back from the sample can become weaker. Differences in surface height or small bumps can also make the spot seen by the camera differ from the spot struck by the X-rays.
That difference matters because a small sample can contain neighboring areas with very different compositions. If the beam lands in the wrong place, the result may not reflect the part the user intended to study. And if the measurement covers too large an area, information from the target can become mixed with signals from the surrounding material. Analyzing microscopic regions therefore calls for both precise targeting and stable sample movement—not just a narrower beam.
This challenge arises in miniature electronic components, battery materials, and advanced materials in development and production. These products are becoming smaller and more complex, while the need to inspect specific components, map elemental distributions, measure film thickness, and detect foreign particles is growing. The new instrument is designed to address some of these needs by combining small-spot analysis with the ability to measure over a much larger area.
The Camera and X-Rays Look from the Same Direction
Qualana’s optical design places the X-ray lens beneath a camera that monitors the sample, with both aimed down at it from above. The goal is to make the spot the user sees as close as possible to the spot exposed to X-rays. If the sample’s height changes or its surface has bumps and contours, the design is intended to reduce the offset between the visible target and the area being analyzed.
This arrangement is especially useful when working with an uneven surface. In systems where the viewing angle and the X-ray direction do not line up, changes in surface height can shift the actual point of impact from the spot indicated in the sample image. According to the company, aiming both the camera and the X-rays from above reduces the effect of this problem. It helps the instrument collect information from the intended location rather than relying on a visual estimate that may not match the beam’s path.
The component arrangement is only part of the system. The instrument also includes a high-precision stage that moves the sample so that small regions can be analyzed. The stage helps users select a target and maintain accurate positioning during a measurement. Together, the stage and optical design form one system: directing the X-rays correctly depends on keeping the sample aligned with the measurement location, not merely on providing a clear view.
This design does not eliminate the effects of surface contours, nor does it mean that every sample can be analyzed in exactly the same way. Instead, it addresses one specific potential source of error: a mismatch between the viewed spot and the X-ray target when surface height varies. The aim is to make the elemental data more representative of the region selected by the user—a crucial point when the target is so small that there is little room for misalignment.
A Measurement Spot as Small as 20 Micrometers
One of the instrument’s headline specifications is its ability to direct X-rays onto a spot with a minimum size of 20 micrometers. That makes it possible to investigate the elemental composition of tiny regions, such as details within electronic components, foreign particles, or areas that have changed color. In such cases, a larger spot can be a drawback: it may cover more than one feature or mix the signal from the target with information from an unwanted area.
A micrometer is a very small unit of length: one micrometer is one-thousandth of a millimeter. A 20-micrometer measurement therefore targets an area that is extremely small compared with areas typically examined in broader measurements. But the number alone does not tell the whole story. A small spot is most useful when the instrument can place it accurately on the feature of interest, which is why the alignment of the camera, lens, and precision stage matters.
The target may be a tiny part of a component that cannot easily be separated from the rest of the sample. Or the user may want to examine an unwanted particle or an area that looks different from its surroundings. Local measurements allow the analyst to focus on that feature rather than treating the whole sample as if it were uniform. The result can reveal which elements are present in a more precisely defined region, though the instrument’s stated purpose is elemental analysis—not a complete account of every physical property of the sample.
This approach can do more than detect a difference that is already known to exist; local scanning can also help show where the difference lies within a sample. Knowing that a material contains a particular element overall does not necessarily tell you where that element is located. Analyzing selected regions connects composition data to specific places, an important capability when assessing tiny components or localized traces that need closer examination.
From Tiny Details to Wide-Area Scans
Although the instrument is designed to examine small regions, its capabilities are not limited to a single spot. It can also perform mapping measurements across an area of up to 200 × 200 millimeters. Mapping involves collecting information from points distributed across a sample’s surface, building a picture of how elements are spread out rather than providing just one reading from one location.
Because the X-ray spot size can be changed, users can choose between two different approaches: a more detailed measurement of microscopic regions or a more efficient scan over a larger area. The right choice depends on the question being asked. A user might first want to find out whether an element is distributed across a broad area, then examine a small region more closely to see what makes it different. Or a foreign particle spotted in a general map might need a targeted follow-up measurement.
The stated maximum area of 200 × 200 millimeters provides room to map elemental distributions on a comparatively broad scale, rather than measuring just one point. Such maps can help highlight areas that differ from the rest of the sample, while a smaller beam can focus on details that might be hard to distinguish with a larger X-ray spot. The instrument thus brings detailed and broad-area analysis together on one platform; close-up analysis does not have to replace studying the sample as a whole.
The company says that wide-area measurements can be used to assess elemental distributions and help detect tiny foreign particles. The distinction matters: a map does more than report a composition value—it links the information to locations on the sample’s surface. That can guide users toward areas worth examining more closely, although the next step will depend on the purpose of the measurement and the material being tested.
Analyzing Thin Films and Estimating Their Thickness
Qualana can analyze the composition and thickness of thin films using the fundamental parameters method, commonly known as FP. According to the announcement, its Multilayer Film FP function lets users configure FP models to suit a wide range of thin-film samples. This is useful for materials made up of multiple layers, or when knowing which elements are present at the surface is not enough.
For a thin film, composition alone may not provide all the information needed. An assessment may also require an estimate of how much material is present, or how thick the film is. The announced function combines composition analysis with the ability to estimate film thickness, while allowing the calculation model to be adapted to the type of multilayer sample. The announcement does not specify how many layers the system can handle or what thickness range it can measure, so no additional figures or limits should be assumed beyond those provided by the company.
The description of the models as configurable also highlights the need to select an analytical setup that fits the structure being measured, rather than applying one model to every sample. Thin films can differ in both their layer arrangements and their compositions, so users need to tailor the model to the question they are investigating. This capability complements local and mapping measurements rather than replacing them: it adds another way to assess composition and thickness within the same analytical system.
What Could These Capabilities Mean for Laboratories?
The value of an analytical instrument depends on how well it suits the question at hand, not on one impressive specification in isolation. This instrument brings together several needs: identifying elements in a very small area, avoiding errors caused by a mismatch between the camera’s view and the X-ray target, mapping larger areas, and analyzing the composition and thickness of films. This range gives users options for different samples, but it does not make every measurement identical or remove the need to choose suitable settings.
If the goal is to examine one tiny spot in an electronic component, the 20-micrometer spot and accurate alignment become essential. If the aim is to find differences spread across a larger surface, a measurement map covering up to 200 × 200 millimeters may be a better place to start. And when the focus is a thin film, the multilayer FP function offers a different way to examine both its composition and thickness.
This flexibility matters as components become smaller and more complex, because methods that produce only an overall result may miss details in small regions. Still, the instrument’s launch does not mean that every challenge in analyzing fine-scale materials has been solved. Results will continue to depend on the sample, how the measurement is set up, and which region the user chooses to examine. Based on the announced information, the design offers tools to improve targeting and switch between close-up measurements and scans of wider areas.
In a comment attributed to Dr. Elena Vance of Tokyo Institute of Technology, the combination of vertical optical alignment and a precision stage was described as an important development for more accurate characterization of miniaturized components. The assessment reflects the central idea behind the instrument: bring what the user sees into closer alignment with the area exposed to X-rays, then hold the measurement position steady enough to examine small regions.
The Bottom Line
Rigaku launched Qualana, a micro-area X-ray elemental analyzer, on October 24, 2026. It is designed to examine spots as small as 20 micrometers, using a camera and X-ray lens aimed down at the sample, along with a high-precision stage, to reduce the mismatch between the visible target and the area exposed to X-rays when the surface varies in height. The instrument can also map areas up to 200 × 200 millimeters, adjust the beam spot to suit the measurement, and analyze thin-film composition and thickness with a multilayer FP function. Its central idea is to combine precise local analysis with broader sample scans, giving users a choice of scale that better fits the question they need to answer.