Secondary fluorescence in electron probe microanalysis of material couples

We describe a semi-analytical method for the fast calculation of secondary fluorescence in electron probe microanalysis of material couples. The calculation includes contributions from primary K-, Land M-shell characteristic x-rays and bremsstrahlung photons. The required physical interaction parameters (subshell partial cross sections, attenuation coefficients, etc) are extracted from the database of the Monte Carlo simulation code system PENELOPE. The calculation makes use of the intensities of primary photons released in interactions of beam electrons and secondary electrons. Since these intensities are not readily available and do not allow analytical calculation, they are generated from short Monte Carlo simulation runs. The reliability of the proposed calculation method has been assessed by comparing calculated, distance-dependent k-ratios with experimental data available in the literature and with results from simulations with PENELOPE. Numerical results are found to be in close agreement with both simulated and experimental data. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)