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A description of two automated control systems for the electron microprobe
Author(s) -
Frost M. T.,
O'Hara K.,
Suddaby P.,
Grant G.,
Reid A. F.,
Wilson A. F.,
Zuiderwyk M.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
x‐ray spectrometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.447
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1097-4539
pISSN - 0049-8246
DOI - 10.1002/xrs.1300050403
Subject(s) - minicomputer , microprobe , software , electron microprobe , flexibility (engineering) , computer science , control system , computer hardware , optics , engineering , physics , electrical engineering , chemistry , operating system , mathematics , nuclear physics , mineralogy , statistics
Control systems for a Geoscan microprobe based on a minicomputer with a core of 4 K of 16‐bit words and for a Japan Electron Optics Laboratory JEOL JXA‐50 with a minicomputer having 16 K words are described in general terms. Similar analysis strategies are used in both systems, but the Geoscan software operates on a ‘stand‐alone basis’ while that for the JXA‐50 is based on a modified version of an Interdata operating system, supporting an interactive program for flexible operator control of the probe. Lower initial cost and less programming effort were involved in the Geoscan control system, but this is balanced in the larger JXA‐50 installation by greater flexibility and ease of operation. The integration of non‐dispersive X‐ray detector systems with microprobe control systems, the suitability of the software operating system for incorporation of such devices and for extension to digital beam scanning and particle area analysis are also briefly considered.