Simultaneous SEM-EDS Analysis with ChemiSEM Technology

Simultaneous SEM-EDS analysis

Although widely used, EDS analysis can have a certain level of difficulty depending on the conditions and/or applications. This is especially true in applications like product failure investigation and contaminant identification where the R&D function needs to continually improve the quality control and failure analysis process to gain a better understanding of the issues that emerge—and why.

 

This is where Thermo Scientific ChemiSEM Technology’s live analysis provides unique benefits in both quality and productivity by automatically delivering instant and constant access to quantitative elemental information. It gradually builds a deeper and more detailed analysis of the sample in the background, helping you identify the key quality issues faster than ever before.

SEM-EDS quantitative analysis

Unfortunately, conventional mapping of elements and phases in complex samples is not an exact science. For example, the signal from one peak can sometimes be assigned to two elements, thus generating an error that slows identification of QC issues in the sample. 

 

ChemiSEM Technology, on the other hand, automatically deconvolves these peak overlaps and correctly assigns them to the correct elements. This is achieved with quantitative X-ray mapping that can be accessed both live during the acquisition and offline after the acquisition. ChemiSEM Technology stores a spectrum at every pixel, yielding data that can be analyzed repeatedly without the need to reacquire or recreate acquisition parameters.

Unbiased phase analysis with ChemiSEM Technology

Traditional phase analysis is highly dependent on assumptions made about the sample, which can be a problem if unexpected elements are missed, for example, due to overlapping peaks or insufficient intensities.

 

With ChemiPhase—a new feature of ChemiSEM Technology—this cannot happen. Interpretation of complex samples is completely unbiased and based on the systematic identification of every unique phase using all statistically significant spectra within the datacube.

 

Subsequently, your lab team can run the fully automated process with no prior identification of elements, locate minor and trace elements without extensive experience, definitively identify major and minor components down to a single pixel, and ultimately complete a deeper, more comprehensive analysis.

Automatic sample drift correction during SEM-EDS analysis

Above all, accurate and efficient quantification requires a sample that is—and remains—correctly positioned.

 

Often, in the case of image drift, you would either have to reacquire the analysis multiple times or wait for the sample to stop drifting and then reacquire the analysis. Both cases reduce productivity.

 

By constantly monitoring the sample position, ChemiSEM Software provides automatic sample drift correction, enabling higher magnification operation and longer acquisition times. It’s yet another feature of this integrated SEM-EDS solution that helps you save valuable time and effort by focusing on what’s important: acquiring the highest-quality data as quickly as possible.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.