X-ray diffractometer for high flux grazing incidence diffraction

An X-ray diffractometer ( 1 ) comprising an X-ray source ( 2 ) emitting a line focus X-ray beam ( 3; 11 ) wherein the larger extension of the beam cross section defines a line direction ( 4; 12 ) of the X-ray beam ( 3; 11 ), further comprising a sample ( 6; 13 ), and an X-ray detector ( 7 ) rotatable in a scattering plane around an axis omega intersecting the position of the sample ( 7 ) is characterized in that the X-ray source is mounted to a switching device ( 10 ), which allows to move the X-ray source into one of two fixed positions with respect to the scattering plane, wherein in the first position the line direction ( 4 ) of the X-ray beam ( 3 ) is parallel to the scattering plane and in the second position the line direction ( 12 ) of the X-ray beam ( 11 ) is perpendicular to the scattering plane, and wherein the path of the X-ray beam ( 3, 11 ) in the two fixed positions of the X-ray source is the same. This X-ray diffractometer has a simple mechanical setup and allows in plane grazing incidence diffraction as well as regular XRD measurements with good resolution.