The electron beam generates x-ray photons in the beam�specimen interaction volume beneath the specimen surface. X-ray photons emerging from the specimen have energies specific to the elements in the specimen; these are the characteristic x-rays that provide the SEM�s analytical capabilities (see Fig. 6.1). Other photons have no relationship to specimen elements and constitute the continuum background of the spectrum. The x-rays we analyze in the SEM usually have energies between 0.1and 20 keV. Our task in this chapter is to understand the physical basis for the features in an x-ray spectrum like that shown in Fig. 6.1.
CITATION STYLE
Goldstein, J. I., Newbury, D. E., Echlin, P., Joy, D. C., Lyman, C. E., Lifshin, E., … Michael, J. R. (2003). Generation of X-Rays in the SEM Specimen. In Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-ray Microanalysis (pp. 271–296). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0215-9_6
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