Digital X-ray mapping on an HB501 STEM; a new approach for the analysis of interfaces

Abstract A scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) has been modified to enable characteristic X-ray peaks to be stored as digital images along with pulse-counted bright-field and dark-field images. The system has been developed for X-ray microanalysis of two-dimensional structures (such as grain boundaries and interfaces). Line averages can be extracted from the images using a standard image-processing package to obtain composition profiles. This system is inherently suited to the analysis of electron-beam-sensitive materials.