Measurement and calculation of escape peak intensities in synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence analysis

Abstract

In synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence experiments, the escape peaks, generating from the Si(Li) solid detector, can disrupt seriously the quantitative and qualitative analysis. In this paper, 14 specimens, such as metals, compounds and plants, have been chosen as objectives to determine the intensities and positions of escape peaks. In all, the characteristic X-ray fluorescence peaks and their escape peaks of 12 elements have been measured. Comparing the experimental values with the standard values, the escape peaks can be discriminated. To calculate the ratios of intensities of the escape peaks and their corresponding characteristic X-ray fluorescence peaks, a simplified Si Kα emergent spherical distribution has been put forward. It is found that the experimental results are in accordance with that of calculation, i.e. both the experimental and theoretical ratios decrease from 1% to 0.1% with the increasing atomic number from 18 to 33 (from 1 to 9 keV in X-ray range).