Low Accelerating Voltage X-ray Microanalysis - Strategies and challenges

Strategies for Low Accelerating Voltage X-ray Microanalysis of Sub-Micrometer Features with the FE-EPMA

X-ray microanalyses of sub-micrometer features require that a lower accelerating voltage be used. This reduction in the accelerating voltage reduces the penetrating distance of the beam electrons and thereby reduces the analytical volume. Two general strategies have been proposed for achieving the smallest analytical volume. The first approach involves significantly reducing the accelerating vo...

Barriers to Quantitative Electron Probe X-Ray Microanalysis for Low Voltage Scanning Electron Microscopy

Low voltage x-ray microanalysis, defined as being performed with an incident beam energy ≤5 keV, can achieve spatial resolution, laterally and in depth, of 100 nm or less, depending on the exact selection of beam energy and the composition of the target. The shallow depth of beam penetration, with the consequent short path length for x-ray absorption, and the low overvoltage, the ratio of beam ...

X-Ray microanalysis of stratified specimens

This paper presents a description of the state of the art methodology and software for the application of x-ray microanalysis to thin surface layers and more generally to the characterization of stratified specimens. The sensitivity of the technique to near-surface segregation is demonstrated. Some emphasis is given on the eS(pz) function (the distribution in depth of the primary generated x-ra...

X-ray microanalysis attachment for electron microscope.

Fundamental Constants for Quantitative X-ray Microanalysis.

Quantitative X-ray microanalysis requires the use of many fundamental constants related to the interaction of the electron beam with the sample. The current state of our knowledge of such constants in the particular areas of electron stopping power, X-ray ionization cross-sections, X-ray fluorescence yield, and the electron backscattering yield, is examined. It is found that, in every case, the...