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Determination of the efficiency of an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer up to 50 keV with a SEM
(2009)
Both electron and polychromatic photon excitations (micro-focus X-ray source) at a scanning electron microscope (SEM) are used to determine the efficiency of an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer up to 50 keV by means of a calibrated X-ray spectrometer and reference materials (RM) specially selected for this purpose.
X-ray scattering may contribute significantly to the spectral background of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectra. Based on metrological measurements carried out with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) having attached a well characterised X-ray source (polychromatic X-ray tube) and a calibrated energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) the accuracy of a physical model for X-ray scattering is systematically evaluated for representative samples. The knowledge of the X-ray spectrometer efficiency, but also of the spectrometer response functions makes it possible to define a physical spectral background of XRF spectra. Background subtraction relying on purely mathematical procedures is state-of-the-art. The results produced by the analytical model are at least as reliable as those obtained by Monte-Carlo simulations, even without considering the very challenging contribution of multiple scattering. Special attention has been paid to Compton broadening. Relevant applications of the implementation of the analytical model presented in this paper are the prediction of the limits of detection for particular cases or the determination of the transmission of X-ray polycapillary lenses.
It is a latent wish of any SEM/EDS (scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive spectrometer) analyst to “see more” of the analyzed specimen, i.e. to improve the existing analytical figures of merit.
One key issue are the relatively poor limits of detection (not below 0.1 mass-%) provided by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) with the conventional electron excitation (ED-EPMA). This is a consequence of relatively low peak-to-background ratios and reduced energy resolution when compared to wavelength dispersive spectrometry (WD-EPMA). Recent technological developments make possible to equip the SEM with a wavelength dispersive spectrometer (WDS), so that
significantly better energy resolution can be attained. Also a relative new product that can be easily attached to a SEM/EDS system is a micro-focus X-ray source. Hence, it is possible to perform (micro-focus) X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (μ-XRF) and take advantage of the enhanced peak-to-background ratios (well suited for trace analysis). However, there are also some disadvantages: an increased measurement time and excitation with a high current in the 10s of nA range are usually required for WDS. μ-XRF provides more bulk information and poor limits of detection for light elements. By combining the advantages of these analytical techniques “seeing more” becomes possible.
The accurate knowledge of the properties of polycapillary X-ray semi-lenses has a significant influence on the quantitative results in a widespread field of applications involving microfocus X-ray beams. A routine procedure for the characterisation of a polycapillary X-ray semi-lens with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) having attached an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) is presented in this paper. A key issue of the procedure consists of fitting the semi-lens in front of the EDS for spectra acquisition. Relevant semi-lens parameters such as focal distance, full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the acceptance area, and transmission are determined in parallelising mode of the semi-lens. Special attention has been paid to the calculation of the transmission.
A microfocus X-ray source mounted on the analysis chamber of an SEM was used to excite X-ray fluorescence spectra and to detect chemical elements with concentrations below the detection limit of the electron-excited X-ray spectra conventionally measured with SEM/EDS. An aluminium alloy and a hard material ceramics were analysed as representative examples. It is demonstrated that the combination of the three analytical methods: (1) SEM imaging for surface morphology characterisation; (2) electron-excited X-ray spectroscopy with its high spatial resolution for element analysis of inclusions or precipitates; and (3) X-ray fluorescence for the detection of elements with concentrations below 0.1 mass% considerably improves the performance of SEM/EDX analyses.
Popular X-ray tube models available in the literature, i.e. 'Pella', 'Ebel', and 'Finkelshtein and Pavlova', are systematically evaluated with the focus on the estimation of the associated uncertainties. Also taken in consideration and compared is our recent semi-empirical own approach already employed in our lab. This has been working for the common target elements rhodium, molybdenum and tungsten and was further extended in the present work for the target elements copper, chromium and vanadium. By using a modern scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) system this time, higher performances such as stability of the beam current and especially the better energy resolution of the EDS have enabled the reliable extension of our own X-ray tube spectrum approach into the low-energy range, due to increasing interest. Hence, also the more challenging X-ray lines of copper, chromium and vanadium L-series lying in the energy range below 12?keV are included into the model. Such low-energy L-lines or, e.g. M-lines of tungsten, are not treated explicitly by the other existing popular algorithms for the nowadays widely used geometries of side-window tubes, offering a unique virtue to our present, modern approach. With our own model, a measurement uncertainty of the X-ray tube spectra (considering the uncertainties associated with the SEM beam current, the detector acceptance solid angle and efficiency of the spectrometer) within 15% has been estimated. The validation of the approach is demonstrated with metrological measurements with a calibrated SEM/EDS system geometrically configured as a side-window X-ray tube.