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EDX Analysis: How X-Ray Detection Works

X-rays are generated during SEM analysis when the electron beam excites atoms in the sample, causing electrons to jump between energy shells or be ejected. The energy released when electrons fill vacated shells is emitted as an X-ray photon. Each element has characteristic X-ray energies that can be used to identify it. EDX detectors measure the energy of incoming X-ray photons to create spectra of peaks corresponding to elemental composition. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis of a sample's composition is possible from an EDX spectrum, though accuracy depends on factors like overlapping peaks and X-ray absorption within the sample.

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170 views2 pages

EDX Analysis: How X-Ray Detection Works

X-rays are generated during SEM analysis when the electron beam excites atoms in the sample, causing electrons to jump between energy shells or be ejected. The energy released when electrons fill vacated shells is emitted as an X-ray photon. Each element has characteristic X-ray energies that can be used to identify it. EDX detectors measure the energy of incoming X-ray photons to create spectra of peaks corresponding to elemental composition. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis of a sample's composition is possible from an EDX spectrum, though accuracy depends on factors like overlapping peaks and X-ray absorption within the sample.

Uploaded by

Abhijnan Gogoi
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Every atom in an element have specific number of electrons that reside under normal

conditions in specific positions, which belongs to certain shells, which have different,
discrete energies.

The generation of the X-rays in a SEM is a 2-step process. In the first step, the electron beam
hits the sample and a part of its energy gets transferred to the atoms of the sample. This
energy can either be utilised by the electrons of the atoms to “jump” to a higher energy shell
or be knocked-off from the atom. During such transition, the electron leaves behind a hole.
Holes possessing positive charge, in the second step of the process, attract the negatively-
charged electrons from higher-energy shells. When an electron from such a shell of higher
energy fills the hole of the lower-energy shell, the difference of energy during this transition
can be released in the form of an X-ray.

The released X-ray has energy which is characteristic of the energy difference between these
two shells. It depends on the atomic number unique to every element. Hence it can be
concluded that X-rays are a “fingerprint” of each element and helps in the identification of
the type of elements that exist in a sample.

EDX analysis: how X-ray detection works


X-rays are electromagnetic radiation and consist of photons. To detect them, the latest
systems use the so-called silicon-drift detectors (SDDs). These are considered better than
the conventional Si(Li) detectors due to higher count rates, better resolution, and faster
capacity of analysis. These detectors are placed at a particular angle, very close to the sample
and have the ability to measure the energy of the incoming photons which belong to the X-
rays. The higher the solid angle between the detector and the sample, the higher the X-rays’
detection probability, and therefore the likelihood of acquiring the best results.
Figure 3: Typical EDX spectrum: y-axis depicts the number of counts and x-axis the energy
of the X-rays. The position of the peaks leads to the identification of the elements and the
peak height helps in the quantification of each element’s concentration in the sample.

The data that is generated by EDX analysis consists of spectra with peaks corresponding to
all the different elements that are present in the sample. You can see an example of this in
Fig.3. Every element has characteristic peaks of unique energy, which can be found in
bibliography.

Furthermore, EDX can be used for qualitative (the type of elements) as well as quantitative
(the percentage of the concentration of each element of the sample) analysis. In most SEMs,
dedicated software enables auto-identification of the peaks and the calculation of the atomic
percentage of each element that is detected. One more advantage of the EDX technique is that
it is a non-destructive characterization technique which requires little or no sample
preparation.

Edx can be used to determine which chemical elements are present in a sample and can be used to
estimate their relative abundance. The accuracy of this quantitative analysis of sample composition
is affected by various factors. Many elements will have overlapping X-ray emission peaks (e.g., Ti Kβ
and V Kα, Mn Kβ and Fe Kα). The accuracy of the measured composition is also affected by the nature
of the sample. X-rays are generated by any atom in the sample that is sufficiently excited by the
incoming beam. These X-rays are emitted in all directions (isotropically), and so they may not all
escape the sample. The likelihood of an X-ray escaping the specimen, and thus being available to
detect and measure, depends on the energy of the X-ray and the composition, amount, and density
of material it has to pass through to reach the detector. Because of this X-ray absorption effect and
similar effects, accurate estimation of the sample composition from the measured X-ray emission
spectrum requires the application of quantitative correction procedures, which are sometimes
referred to as matrix corrections.[

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