The Electron Microprobe

Originally published in 2005, this book covers the closely related techniques of electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) specifically from a geological viewpoint. Topics discussed include: principles of electron-target interactions, electron beam instrumentation, X-ray spectrometry, general principles of SEM image formation, production of X-ray 'maps' showing elemental distributions, procedures for qualitative and quantitative X-ray analysis (both energy-dispersive and wavelength-dispersive), the use of both 'true' electron microprobes and SEMs fitted with X-ray spectrometers, and practical matters such as sample preparation and treatment of results. Throughout, there is an emphasis on geological aspects not mentioned in similar books aimed at a more general readership. The book avoids unnecessary technical detail in order to be easily accessible, and forms a comprehensive text on EMPA and SEM for geological postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, as well as those working in industrial laboratories.

In 1968, the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) published Special Publication 298 "Quantitative Electron Probe Microanalysis," which contained proceedings of a seminar held on the subject at NBS in the summer of 1967. This publication received wide interest that continued through the years far beyond expectations. The present volume, also the result of a gathering of international experts, in 1988, at NBS (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST), is intended to fulfill the same purpose. After years of substantial agreement on the procedures of analysis and data evaluation, several sharply differentiated approaches have developed. These are described in this publi cation with all the details required for practical application. Neither the editors nor NIST wish to endorse any single approach. Rather, we hope that their exposition will stimulate the dialogue which is a prerequisite for technical progress. Additionally, it is expected that those active in research in electron probe microanalysis will appreciate more clearly the areas in which further investigations are warranted.

In the spring of 1963, a well-known research institute made a market survey to assess how many scanning electron microscopes might be sold in the United States. They predicted that three to five might be sold in the first year a commercial SEM was available, and that ten instruments would saturate the marketplace. In 1964, the Cambridge Instruments Stereoscan was introduced into the United States and, in the following decade, over 1200 scanning electron microscopes were sold in the U. S. alone, representing an investment conservatively estimated at $50,000- $100,000 each. Why were the market surveyers wrongil Perhaps because they asked the wrong persons, such as electron microscopists who were using the highly developed transmission electron microscopes of the day, with resolutions from 5-10 A. These scientists could see little application for a microscope that was useful for looking at surfaces with a resolution of only (then) about 200 A. Since that time, many scientists have learned to appreciate that information content in an image may be of more importance than resolution per se. The SEM, with its large depth of field and easily that often require little or no sample prepara interpreted images of samples tion for viewing, is capable of providing significant information about rough samples at magnifications ranging from 50 X to 100,000 X. This range overlaps considerably with the light microscope at the low end, and with the electron microscope at the high end.

1993 paperback of successful physics monograph on electron microprobe analysis, a widely used technique.

The Beginnings of Electron Microscopy presents the technical development of electron microscope. This book examines the mechanical as well as the technical problems arising from the physical properties of the electron. Organized into 19 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the history of scanning electron microscopy and electron beam microanalysis. This text then explains the applications and capabilities of electron microscopes during the war. Other chapters consider the classical techniques of light microscopy. This book presents as well the schematic outline of the preparation techniques for investigation of nerve cells by electron microscopy. The final chapter deals with the historical account of the beginnings of electron microscopy in Russia. This book is a valuable resource for scientists, technologists, physicists, electrical engineers, designers, and technicians. Graduate students as well as researcher workers who are interested in the history of electron microscopy will also find this book extremely useful.

This book has evolved by processes of selection and expansion from its predecessor, Practical Scanning Electron Microscopy (PSEM), published by Plenum Press in 1975. The interaction of the authors with students at the Short Course on Scanning Electron Microscopy and X-Ray Microanalysis held annually at Lehigh University has helped greatly in developing this textbook. The material has been chosen to provide a student with a general introduction to the techniques of scanning electron microscopy and x-ray microanalysis suitable for application in such fields as biology, geology, solid state physics, and materials science. Following the format of PSEM, this book gives the student a basic knowledge of (1) the user-controlled functions of the electron optics of the scanning electron microscope and electron microprobe, (2) the characteristics of electron-beam-sample inter actions, (3) image formation and interpretation, (4) x-ray spectrometry, and (5) quantitative x-ray microanalysis. Each of these topics has been updated and in most cases expanded over the material presented in PSEM in order to give the reader sufficient coverage to understand these topics and apply the information in the laboratory. Throughout the text, we have attempted to emphasize practical aspects of the techniques, describing those instru ment parameters which the microscopist can and must manipulate to obtain optimum information from the specimen. Certain areas in particular have been expanded in response to their increasing importance in the SEM field. Thus energy-dispersive x-ray spectrometry, which has undergone a tremendous surge in growth, is treated in substantial detail.

Biomedical Applications of Microprobe Analysis is a combination reference/laboratory manual for the use of microprobe analysis in both clinical diagnostic and research settings. Also called microchemical microscopy, microprobe analysis uses high-energy bombardment of cells and tissue, in combination with high resolution EM or confocal microscopy to provide a profile of the ion, metal, and mineral concentrations present in a sample. This allows insight into the physiology and pathophysiology of a wide variety of cells and tissues.This book describes methods for obtaining detailed information about the identity and composition of particles too small to be seen with the naked eye and describes how this information can be useful in diagnostic and biomedical research. Up-to-date review of electron microprobe analysis Detailed descriptions of sample preparation techniques Recent technologies including confocal microscopy, infrared microspectroscopy, and laser raman spectroscopy Over 100 illustrations with numerous specific applications Contributions by world-renowned experts in the field Brief summary of highlights precedes each chapter

Examines practical and theoretical aspects of the techniques of electron-probe microanalysis, providing material both for practical microanalysts interested in problems and procedures and for researchers who require greater understanding of the principles and developments in correction models.