Introduction to Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS/EDX)

Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS) is a material characterisation technique used to identify which elements are present within a material. EDS measures X-rays that are generated from the interaction between the electron beam and a sample within an electron microscope. Detection and characterisation of these X-rays results in advanced material information, ranging from elemental identification, composition and phase distribution to sample thickness.

In this tutorial we will discuss the fundamentals of electron microscopy, exploring the interaction between electrons and matter to explain how X-rays are generated. We will then describe the process of EDS acquisition, identifying how a simple spectrum is acquired and how we expand on this process to produce elemental maps. Finally, we will introduce Tru-Q^®, our unique spectrum processing function, which turns EDS data into useful results.

You will learn:

• How X-ray spectra are acquired and processed within electron microscopes
• What spectral imaging is
• How we deconvolute spectra, removing peak overlaps, using Tru-Q®