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X‐ray microanalytical senstivity and spatial resolution in scanning transmission electron microscopes
Author(s) -
Faulkner R. G.,
Norgård K.
Publication year - 1978
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.1300070403
Subject(s) - microanalysis , acceleration voltage , optics , scanning transmission electron microscopy , image resolution , resolution (logic) , aperture (computer memory) , lens (geology) , beam (structure) , materials science , electron , x ray , scanning electron microscope , sensitivity (control systems) , monte carlo method , cathode ray , physics , chemistry , computer science , electronic engineering , statistics , mathematics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , acoustics , engineering
Abstract Experimental and theoretical studies of fine electron beam interactions with film specimens are described. It is shown that a Monte Carlo‐based method for plotting electron trajectories can give good indications of both X‐ray spatial resoultion and sensitivity as experienced during X‐ray microanalysis in scanning transmission electron microscopes (STEM). The main operational parameters considered are aperture and lens settings, beam accelerating voltage and specimen thickness. Based on theroretically and experimentally determined data, as set of conditions for optimum X‐ray detection sensitivity and X‐ray spatial resoultion for nickel and aluminium are presented. It is shown that little advantage is gained by performing X‐ray microanalysis at beam accelerating voltages greater than 100kV. Also the necessity to condense the beam spot size to less than 100 Å is relatively unimportant from the viewpoint of improving X‐ray spatial resolution in STEM.