Calculation of Electron-Induced X-ray Intensities under Grazing Exit Conditions ∗

Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) under grazing-exit conditions allows us to perform microscopic surface analysis, thin-film analysis and particle analysis. To evaluate the thickness and density of thin-films, it is necessary to calculate X-ray intensities as a function of the exit angle. In this paper, we propose a procedure to calculate X-ray intensities as a function of grazing-exit angle. Monte Carlo simulation is used to determine the depth distribution of the electron-induced X-ray production and a multilayer model is applied to include the grazing emission process. The exit angle resolved curves, calculated for Ni thin films, were compared with experimental curves. A good agreement between the experimental plots and the calculated curves indicates that the proposed computational approach can be applied successfully to the calculation of EPMA intensities. Appling this calculation, the lateral resolution of EPMA was also evaluated at different take-off angles. It was suggested that the lateral resolution would be improved under grazing-exit conditions. [DOI: 10.1380/ejssnt.2003.111]