PANalytical introduces its 2nd generation solid-state detector technology designed for even the most advanced X-ray diffraction (XRD) applications. The new PIXcel detector is a highly advanced photon counting device that incorporates the very latest in pixel technology.

PIXcel is a high-end companion to PANalytical's renowned X'Celerator detector and offers specific benefits for advanced materials research for high tech applications. These include superior resolution, unmatched dynamic range and high count rate linearity. More than 65,000 pixels, each 55 x 55 microns in size, account for the detector's unique performance capabilities. Every pixel has individual readout circuitry giving a dynamic range of more than 25 million counts per second per pixel row. The use of beam attenuators is no longer necessary.

The PIXcel detector can be mounted as one of PANalytical's PreFIX modules (Pre-aligned Fast Interchangeable X-ray modules). It can also be positioned behind conventional point detector optics. When used with a monochromator it provides diffraction patterns with the best peak to background ratio for Challengi materials.

PIXcel is the result of PANalytical's collaboration with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and other leading research institutes across Europe involved in the Medipix2 project.