Edata2: a Fortran Iv Computer Program for Processing Wavelength- And/or Energy-dispersive Electron Microprobe Analyses

The development of EDATA2 was stimulated by the proliferation of mixed energy dispersive/wavelength dispersive equipped electron microprobes. For such systems to be operated most efficiently and conveniently, a data reduction program is required that can handle energy-dispersive, wavelength-dispersive, or a mixture of both kinds of data. This requirement has become particularly pressing with the widespread introduction of a high degree of automation, which permits either kind of data to be gathered rapidly and reliably. If the reduction of data to give the compositional information ultimately required is not to present a bottleneck, software must be versatile, running times short, and costs low. In the development of EDATA2 (Fig. 1) the design philosophy of its predecessor, "EDATA," was retained in that an automatic rather than an interactive program was constructed. In any laboratory where an appreciable part of the operation involves producing large numbers of analyses, it is desirable that minimal intervention be required during data processing. EDATA was developed to process only energy-dispersive analyses, and was limited to handling analytical data for elements of atomic number 11 (Na) to 30 (Zn), plus Zr and Ba. These elements cover the compositions of most silicates, as well as many other minerals. However, EDATA2 permits the specification of any suite of up to 22 analyzed elements (from Z = 9 to 92). An empirical expression for the relationship of continuum intensity to atomic number, continuum energy, and accelerating potential has now been reinvestigated for an accelerating voltage of 15 kV, continuum energies up to 10 keV, and for atomic numbers up to 92; the following new expression was obtained: