Window Contamination Research Articles

Window contamination of energy‐dispersive detectors in electron microprobe analysis

AbstractOil film contamination of the Be window of a Si detector has been demonstrated using archival information on X‐ray intensities from calibration standards acquired over a two and a half year period. Although cleaning the window with a solvent restores sensitivity for soft radiation, recontamination can be rapid unless a small heating device is placed close to the window. A mathematical correction is suggested which avoids significant analytical errors from the effect of any contamination which may be present. It can be applied automatically by data processing software using information from the calibration standard spectrum.