SEM‐EDS with low primary electron energy as a tool of surface analysis

Energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) has been applied to thin Cr films on Fe and Fe–Ni alloys with the primary electron energy ( E P ) of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as low as 1.5 keV. The detection depth of SEM‐EDS with an E P of 1.5 keV is estimated to be less than 20 nm for the L emission of Fe in Cr. Linear relationships were obtained between Fe–Ni alloy compositions determined by chemical analysis and those derived by a quantitative calculation from the Fe‐L and Ni‐L peaks measured with the E P from 1.5 to 15 keV. SEM‐EDS can be a quantitative analysis technique with high spatial resolution for material surfaces when combined with low E P 's. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.