Ritchie, N.
, Newbury, D.
, Mengason, M.
and Lowers, H.
(2018),
EDS Microanalysis: Pushing the Limits, Materials Science and Engineering, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=923099
(Accessed January 8, 2026)
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EDS Microanalysis: Pushing the Limits
Published
Author(s)
, , , Heather Lowers
Abstract
It is a great time to be a microanalyst. After a few decades of incremental progress in energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), the last decade has seen the accuracy and precision surge forward. Today, the question is not whether EDS is generally useful but to identify the types of problems for which wavelength spectrometry remains the better choice. The full extent of EDS's capabilities has surprised many. Low Z, low energy, and trace element detection have been demonstrated even in the presence of difficult peak interferences. In this paper, we will summarize the state-of-the-art and investigate a couple of extremely challenging problem domains, analysis of natural rare-earth element bearing minerals and nickel silicides.Citation
Materials Science and Engineering
Pub Type
Journals
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Keywords
SDD, Silicon Drift Detector, EDS, Energy Dispersive Spectrometry, WDS, Wavelength Dispersive Spectrometry, Rare earth elements, Nickel silicides
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Created June 1, 2018, Updated September 29, 2025