A new and improved type of x‐ray capillary optics unit (ellipsoidal), is developed, tested, and characterized using a table‐top x‐ray microbeam setup. The beam profiles of the x‐ray beams generated by the 7.5 &mgr;m ellipsoidal capillary were constructed from ‘‘knife‐edge’’ scans across the beam. The detection limits for various elements were determined, and the spatial resolution, when the beam was used in scanning mode, was demonstrated. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.