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NiO Test Specimens for Analytical Electron Microscopy: Round-Robin Results

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 August 2003

J.C. Bennett  and
R.F. Egerton
J.C. Bennett
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2J1
R.F. Egerton
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2J1
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Abstract

Improvements in instrumentation for energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDX) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) have underlined the need for suitable standards for measuring performance. We report the results from several laboratories that were supplied with a test specimen consisting of a thin film of nickel oxide supported on a molybdenum grid. The Ni-Kα/Mo-Kα count ratio was used as an indication of number of stray electrons and/or X-rays in the TEM column; the Ni-Kα peak/background ratio provided a measure of the total background in the EDX spectrum, including bremsstrahlung contributions and the effect of detector electronics. By providing values typical of current instrumentation, the results illustrate how the test specimen can be used to evaluate TEM/EDX systems prior to purchase, during installation, and (periodically) during operation. The NiO films were also used to test EELS acquisition and quantification procedures: measured Ni/O elemental ratios were all within 10% of stoichiometry.

Keywords

analytical electron microscopystandard specimenselectron energy-loss spectroscopyEDX microanalysis
Type
Research Article
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 1 , Issue 4 , August 1995 , pp. 143 - 149
Copyright
© 1995 Microscopy Society of America

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