Getting Started with NIST DTSA-II

Since its introduction in 2007, DTSA-II has been adopted by numerous researchers, and it has been integrated into numerous educational programs. This is the first of a series of articles in Microscopy Today that will appear in the upcoming months to provide an introduction to use of the product. These articles also will provide details of how DTSA-II can be used to implement best practices for microanalysis in your laboratory or in your teaching environment. These articles will demonstrate how to form the most accurate type of spectrum quantification—standards-base quantification—as well as how to use simulation to optimize various types of measurement problems. They will focus on using DTSA-II to understand the physical process including the interaction of energetic electrons with your sample and the propagation of x-rays through matter and to the detector.