Rapid Quantitative Electron Probe Microanalysis with a Nondiffractive Detector System

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Abstract
Nondiffractive detector systems on electron probe microanalyzers have decreased the time required for a qualitative analysis from 30 or 40 min to 1 or 2 min. The nondiffractive technique may be extended to the quantitative determination of an element by comparing either the peak height or the area beneath the peak of the signal from the specimen with that from the pure chemical element or a standard of known composition run under identical conditions. Results are given for quantitative analyses of several materials with a lithium-drifted silicon detector, used for X-ray lines above 1 keV, and a gas flow proportional detector, for X-ray lines from 0.16 to 1.5 keV. Quantitative analyses can be accomplished only when the experimental conditions are carefully selected and maintained throughout the measurement. They are then sufficiently precise to warrant the use of a “matrix” correction procedure to obtain concentrations. An analog curve analyzer is useful for resolving overlapping peaks and for integrating the areas beneath the peaks.