Foreign materials are a common root cause in industrial manufacturing and can lead to quality issues when found in finishded products. Using analytical instruments to identify foreign materials is important for root-cause investigation and recurrence prevention.
A scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX) is commonly used for material identification; however, in some cases, micro-XRF has the advantage of analyzing large samples and water-containing samples. Here, several applications across materials and industries are introduced as examples of how XRF is widely used in foreign material analysis.
Detection of foreign matter containing light elements
With the XGT-9000 Expert, you can detect foreign material containing not only metals, but also light elements such as alumina, fluor resins, and silicon nitride.
Foreign-material analysis on printed circuit boards
Solder balls entrapment
The X-ray transmission image confirmed the presence of foreign material. From the elemental image, foreign matter (Sn) was identified between the IC package and the printed circuit board. It was presumed to have been accidentally introduced during the soldering process.
Foreign-material analysis in films
For visible foreign material, non-destructive analysis is possible. Even when the foreign matter is difficult to locate visually, mapping-based screening and HORIBA’s proprietary image-processing technology make it easy to locate the foreign material. X-ray elemental analysis combined with high-resolution optical imaging make it possible to determine the composition of the foreign material.
With XGT, you can directly measure foreign material by specifying the point of interest on an optical microscope image. No sample pretreatment, such as cross-sectioning the sample or physically removing the foreign material, is required.
PTFE foreign-material analysis generated during manufacturing processes
PTFE particles were prepared, and measurements were conducted on particles with diameters of approximately 50 μm and 100 μm, as well as for background (BG). Fluorine (F) peaks were detected in both the 50 μm and 100 μm particles, indicating that the particle contain fluorine. The particle were identified as PTFE particles. Even microscopic foreign matter can be measured if the main component is F.
For example, if black fluor rubber is mixed in as foreign materials, it is difficult to determine by FT-IR whether the foreign material is fluoro rubber. However, XGT-9000 can also detect fluorine, making it easy to infer that the foreign matter is fluor rubber.
Metallic foreign-material analysis of lithium-ion battery separators
If conductive foreign material is present on a separator in a lithium-ion battery, it can cause a short circuit and lead to cell defects. For quality control, detection of metallic foreign material and analysis of its elemental composition are therefore required. A transfer vessel allows the controlled atmosphere to be maintained from the glovebox to the analytical instrument, enabling analysis without exposing the sample to ambient air.
Foreign-material analysis in blister packs
In quality control processes, it is important to ensure not only the content uniformity of the active ingredient but also the safety of the product. By measuring with the sample chamber set to atmospheric pressure, the entire blister pack can be placed inside the chamber, enabling non-destructive, non-contact elemental imaging analysis.
Summary
HORIBA’s XRF solutions provide fast, non-destructive, and highly sensitive foreign material analysis for a wide range of industrial applications. By identifying the elemental composition and distribution of contaminants, micro-XRF supports effective troubleshooting, quality improvement, and process optimization.
Related Application
X-ray Analytical Microscope (Micro-XRF)
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