LAUSR

Scanning electron microscope based X-ray EDS analysis and micro focused X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) analysis typically rely on a focused beam to create X-ray images. The beam is addressed to an array of points on a sample, and a full X-ray spectrum is recorded at each point. An X-ray spectrum is a one dimensional data structure where the intensity (usually measured in arbitrary units known as "counts") is a function of energy. Recording these one dimensional data structures at each point in an array creates a three dimensional data structure known as an X-ray spectrum image (XSI). As a technique, X-ray imaging has proved useful in a wide variety of fields, and it was particularly improved by the invention of the silicon drift detector, which reduced the time required to acquire an XSI by a factor of ten or more [1].