DECTRIS POLLUX™: Versatility Meets Performance in X-Ray Detection

POLLUX™ is the laboratory detector that redefines what you can expect from compact, energy-discriminating X-ray detection. Whether you’re integrating it into a next-generation instrument or want to run fast measurements of high-quality data in the lab, POLLUX delivers exceptional results - consistently and effortlessly.

Designed to deliver the optimal balance between energy resolution, count rate, and active area, POLLUX sets a new benchmark for real-world performance. With dual energy discrimination and excellent resolution, POLLUX effectively suppresses fluorescence and high-energy background, providing clearer signals and better peak-to-background ratios. Its large active area captures more of the beam and covers a wider angular range, enabling faster measurements and improved data quality. Thanks to its superior count rate capabilities, POLLUX enables accurate measurement of high intensities and supports absorber-free reflectometry experiments.

Excellent energy resolution and dual energy discrimination for effective background suppression.
Superior count rates for unparalleled dynamic range.
Versatile and easy to integrate thanks to compact design and passive air cooling.

Detectors

Detector Specifications*

	POLLUX	POLLUX PANORAMA
Active area (W x H) [ mm² ]	19.2 × 14.4	57.9 × 14.4
Pixel array (W x H)	256 × 192	772 × 192
Pixel size (W x H) [ µm² ]	75 × 75	75 × 75
Energy range [ keV ]	4.5 - 9.3	4.5 - 9.3
Number of energy thresholds	2	2
Count rate (max.) [ ph/s/pixel ]	1.0 × 10⁶	1.0 × 10⁶
Frame rate (max. for 2D/1D/0D) [Hz]	100/100/400	100/100/400
Sensor material	Silicon	Silicon
Sensor thickness [ µm ]	320	320
Point-spread function (FWHM) [ pixels ]	1	1
Vacuum compatibility	Optional	Optional
Dimensions (W x H x D) [ mm³ ]	29 × 62 × 37	68 × 62 × 37
Weight [ kg ]	0.15	0.3
Readout time	Zero dead time continuous readout	Zero dead time continuous readout
Cooling method	Passive air	Passive air
Energy resolution [ (FWHM @8 keV) [eV] ]	< 600	< 600
Readout modes	2D, 1D, 0D, each with ROI	2D, 1D, 0D, each with ROI

*All specifications are subject to change without notice.

Key Contacts

Marcus Müller

Product Manager - Laboratories, XRD

E. marcus.mueller@dectris.com

POLLUX Brochure

Laboratory Detectors Brochure

Simplon API Manual

Techniques

Powder X-Ray Diffraction

Modern powder X-ray Diffraction has a high: throughput, sensitivity to impurities, reliability, and temporal and angular resolution. Synchrotron beamlines and laboratory instruments are equipped with 1D and 2D hybrid-pixel X-ray detectors to cover a wide energy range: from 4 to 80 keV.

Residual Stress Measurements

Limitations of samples, such as fluorescence, size, and changes in time, can be overcome by implementing photon-counting X-ray detectors in various setups. These range from synchrotron sources to portable X-ray diffractometers.

Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS)

Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) probes crystalline and partially-ordered samples down to their atom-atom spacing. It is readily combined with Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), even when using the same photon-counting detector.

Wavelength Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (WD-XRF)

The key feature of the WD-XRF technique is its high resolution. Can the resolution be increased further, without compromising measurement speed or sensitivity to weak signals?

EXAFS & XANES

EXAFS and XANES have come to laboratory spectrometers, and the synchrotron techniques are moving forward. What is the role of hybrid-photon-counting detectors in this?