Electron-probe microanalysis: The relation between intensity ratio and concentration

An electron-probe microanalyser provides the means of exciting X radiation in a microvolume of the specimen under investigation and analysing the emitted radiation, so that the elements present in the microvolume may be identified and their concentration established. An earlier review considered the instrumental and experimental aspects of the technique; the object of the present review is to deal with investigations into the relationship between the intensity, IaA emitted by the specimen at the wavelength of a characteristic line in the X-ray spectrum of element A, and the concentration by weight, CA, of element A.