A standards-based method for compositional analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry using multivariate...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Quantifying elemental composition in multicomponent alloys is crucial for materials characterization.
• Existing standards-based methods for energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry have limitations.
• Accurate elemental quantification requires robust analytical approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an improved method for elemental composition determination of alloys using transmission electron microscopy-based EDX.
• To enhance the accuracy of EDX quantification by utilizing multivariate statistical analysis and linear matrix algebra with reference standards.
• To reduce assumptions about the physical origins of EDX spectra through the use of associated standards.

Main Methods:

• A novel method using a discrete set of reference standards with known compositions.
• Application of multivariate statistical analysis to EDX spectra.
• Evaluation of compositions using a linear matrix algebra method.
• Incorporation of spectral absorption corrections via foil thickness estimation.

Main Results:

• The developed technique was successfully applied to III-V multicomponent alloy thin films.
• Accurate determination of both elemental composition and foil thickness for various III-V alloys.
• Validation against X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence analysis confirmed high accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The presented method significantly improves the accuracy of elemental quantification in multicomponent alloys using EDX.
• The approach offers a more reliable alternative to popular standards-based methods.
• Achieved accuracy of approximately 1% in atomic fraction demonstrates the method's effectiveness.