Artifacts in energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry in the scanning electron microscope (II)

The quality of x-ray spectra obtained with an energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer on an electron beam instrument can be severely compromised by the presence of electromagnetic interference. Sources of electromagnetic interference include ground currents and signals generated by time-varying currents in instrument components such as scan coils. Spectrometer resolution can be degraded by the accumulation of ice and vaccum oil on critical components of the device. Operation at high electron energy can cause artifacts in spectra due to direct entry of electrons and spurious x-rays into the detector. Processing high energy photons (above 40 keV) can lead to detector saturation effects which degrade resolution and affect dead time correction. Transmission of high energy x-rays through the detector accompanied by Compton scattering can lead to a distortion of the low energy portion of the spectrum.