The New Generation of EDS Detectors; Implications for Automated Mineralogy

摘要

Geological materials come in a range of shapes and sizes that can present a range of different analytical challenges to the scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyst. These challenges vary depending on the physical and chemical properties of the phases and the specific aims of the analysis. Many geological materials are relatively robust in the SEM and can often be subjected to higher accelerating voltages and beam energies for fast analysis, particularly when grain or particle sizes are larger. However, there are often times when features are present on a far smaller scale with a need for higher resolution imaging and analysis requiring lower accelerating voltages and beam currents.