Testing the accuracy of low-beam-energy electron-excited X-ray microanalysis with energy-dispersive spectrometry
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The accuracy of electron-excited X-ray microanalysis with energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS) has been tested in the low beam energy range, specifically at an incident beam energy of 5 keV, which is the lowest beam energy for which a useful characteristic X-ray peak can be excited for all elements of the periodic table, excepting H and He. Elemental analysis results are reported for certified reference materials (CRM), stoichiometric compounds, minerals, and metal alloys of independently known or measured composition which had microscopic homogeneity suitable for microanalysis. Two-hundred sixty-three concentration measurements for 39 elements in 113 materials were determined following the k-ratio protocol and using the EDS analytical software NIST DTSA-II. The accuracy of the results, as characterized by the relative deviation from expected value (RDEV) metric, was such that more than 98% of the results were found to be captured within a range of ±5% RDEV, while 82% of the results fell in the range -2% to 2% RDEV.
Source: Journal of Materials Science
Authors: Dale E. Newbury, Nicholas W. M. Ritchie
Institution: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Surfaces, Coatings and Films
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,490
OpenAlex ID: W4403395425