Microanalysis and Microscopy: Capabilities
X-Ray Fluorescence / X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
XRF is used for the analysis of bulk samples and provides a rapid, non-destructive, low-cost method for determining the elemental composition of a sample. Bombarding a sample with an X-ray beam and collecting the X-rays that are re-emitted, it is more sensitive than the X-ray spectrometer in the electron microscopes and can detect elements down to the 10-parts-per-million level. It provides a highly quantitative analysis which is very useful when determining such things as the concentration of lead in paint. XPS is similar to XRF, though it measures electrons emitted from the sample instead of X-rays, and thus is more sensitive for determining the elemental composition of only the surface (a few nanometers in depth). XPS, like XRF, is a quick and non-destructive analysis. Because it is very limited in the depth of the sample from which information is gathered, it is particularly useful in the semiconductor industry. Like the X-ray spectrometer in the SEM and TEM, it can also do elemental mapping.
Contact: William F. Gutknecht