Quantitative EDS Explained: How to achieve great results with or without using your own standards

Over several decades Oxford Instruments NanoAnalysis have developed unique technologies and algorithms to produce quantitative results using Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry (EDS, EDXS, EDX) on the SEM. Increasingly, EDS analysis is being accepted as a method for producing reliable elemental compositions of materials and published in peer reviewed publications. Published results of quantitative EDS analysis on secondary standards show that the accuracy achieved by an EDS system can match other techniques, such as WDS, for elements with major and often minor concentration levels in a material.

As EDS is a relative technique, measurement of standard materials of known composition are required to produce quantitative results. However, through careful EDS detector characterisation, and by using a strict methodology to create a standardizations database in the AZtec software, Oxford Instruments have established a ‘standardless’ approach for quantitative EDS. This negates the need for the user to obtain, maintain, and measure standard materials for every element of interest – saving both money and time. This ‘standardless’ approach has been shown to produce results within 2 % relative error of the known compositions (Pinard et al., 2020).

Brought back by popular demand, this webinar will explain the science behind the Oxford Instruments technologies and algorithms, as well as, how to achieve accurate, un-normalized quantitative results using an Oxford Instruments EDS system and the ‘standardless’ approach. Additionally, the use of EDS to produce high quality results using Oxford Instruments software with a standard-based method will be explained, with published examples from the field of Earth Science.

You will learn:

• The science & methodology behind EDS analysis & data processing
• The Oxford Instruments approach to ‘standardless’ quantitative EDS analysis
• How to achieve excellent results & validate the quantitative analysis obtained from your SEM-EDS system