Towards microstrip detectors for synchrotron powder diffraction facilities

A major improvement of todays experimental techniques in powder diffraction can be achieved by using a massively parallel detection of diffraction patterns with arrays of solid-state detectors. In order to determine the feasibility of this technique, a test experiment was performed at the Swiss–Norwegian Beamline (SNBL) of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). Diffraction patterns of previously characterized samples were first recorded with conventional equipment: in high-intensity mode with a single slit in front of the detector (Debye–Scherrer geometry) and at highest angular resolution with an analyzer crystal before the detector. Results were then compared to measurements performed with a double-sided silicon microstrip detector. Particular attention was placed on angular resolution and integrated intensities since these parameters are of most importance for structure determination from powder diffraction patterns. The results presented in this paper provide a basis for the design of a dedicated detector array for the synchrotron powder diffraction facility at the Swiss Light Source presently under construction at the Paul Scherrer Institute.