Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS)

Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) is a standard procedure for identifying and quantifying elemental composition of sample areas of a micron or less. The characteristic X-rays are produced when a material is bombarded with electrons in an electron beam instrument, such as a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Detection of these x-rays can be accomplished by an energy dispersive spectrometer, which is a solid state device that discriminates among X-ray energies.

Technique Advantages

• Rapid elemental analysis of small features
• Two-dimensional elemental mapping
• Semi-quantitative analysis with standards
• High count rates at low kV and beam current

Typical Applications

• Elemental identification of material

Sample Requirements

• Any vacuum compatible solid (thin films, powders, fibers, bulk materials)
• Highly polished mirror surface (preferred)