X-rays characteristic

X-ray Electromagnetic radiation of wave length c. 1 k. X-rays are generated in various ways, including the bombarding of solids with electrons, when they are emitted as a result of electron transitions in the inner orbits of the atoms bombarded. Each element has a characteristic X-ray spectrum. 

X-ray fluorescence A method of analysis used to identify and measure heavy elements in the presence of each other in any matrix. The sample is irradiated with a beam of primary X-rays of greater energy than the characteristic X-radiation of the elements in the sample. This results in the excitation of the heavy elements present and the emission of characteristic X-ray energies, which can be separated into individual wavelengths and measured. The technique is not suitable for use with elements of lower atomic number than calcium. 

Figure Bl.24.14. A schematic diagram of x-ray generation by energetic particle excitation, (a) A beam of energetic ions is used to eject inner-shell electrons from atoms in a sample, (b) These vacancies are filled by outer-shell electrons and the electrons make a transition in energy in moving from one level to another this energy is released in the fomi of characteristic x-rays, the energy of which identifies that particular atom. The x-rays that are emitted from the sample are measured witli an energy dispersive detector.

Idistribution functions can be measured experimentally using X-ray diffraction. The regular arrangement of the atoms in a crystal gives the characteristic X-ray diffraction pattern with bright, sharp spots. For liquids, the diffraction pattern has regions of high and low intensity but no sharp spots. The X-ray diffraction pattern can be analysed to calculate an experimental distribution function, which can then be compared with that obtained from the simulation. 

X-Ray Methods. In x-ray fluorescence the sample containing mercury is exposed to a high iatensity x-ray beam which causes the mercury and other elements ia the sample to emit characteristic x-rays. The iatensity of the emitted beam is directly proportional to the elemental concentration ia the sample (22). Mercury content below 1 ppm can be detected by this method. X-ray diffraction analysis is ordinarily used for the quaUtative but not the quantitative determination of mercury. 

X-Ray Emission and Fluorescence. X-ray analysis by direct emission foUowing electron excitation is of Hmited usefulness because of inconveniences in making the sample the anode of an x-ray tube. An important exception is the x-ray microphobe (275), in which an electron beam focused to - 1 fim diameter excites characteristic x-rays from a small sample area. Surface corrosion, grain boundaries, and inclusions in alloys can be studied with detectabiHty Hmits of -- 10 g (see Surface and interface analysis). 

Both the wavelength dispersive and energy dispersive spectrometers are well suited for quaUtative analysis of materials. Each element gives on the average only six emission lines. Because the characteristic x-ray spectra are so simple, the process of allocating atomic numbers to the emission lines is relatively simple and the chance of making a gross error is small. 

Mica [12001 -26-2]—Cl Pigment White 20, Cl No. 77019. A white powder obtained from the naturally occurring mineral muscovite mica, consisting predominantly of a potassium aluminum siHcate, [1327-44-2] H2KAl2(Si0 2- Mica may be identified and semiquantitatively determined by its characteristic x-ray diffraction pattern and by its optical properties. 

In Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis (TXRF), the sutface of a solid specimen is exposed to an X-ray beam in grazing geometry. The angle of incidence is kept below the critical angle for total reflection, which is determined by the electron density in the specimen surface layer, and is on the order of mrad. With total reflection, only a few nm of the surface layer are penetrated by the X rays, and the surface is excited to emit characteristic X-ray fluorescence radiation. The energy spectrum recorded by the detector contains quantitative information about the elemental composition and, especially, the trace impurity content of the surface, e.g., semiconductor wafers. TXRF requires a specular surface of the specimen with regard to the primary X-ray light. 

In another approach, which was previously mentioned, the mass thickness, or depth distribution of characteristic X-ray generation and the subsequent absorption are calculated using models developed from experimental data into a < )(p2) function. Secondary fluorescence is corrected using the same i flictors as in ZAP. The (pz) formulation is very flexible and allows for multiple boundary conditions to be included easily. It has been used successfully in the study of thin films on substrates and for multilayer thin films. 

Electron Probe X-Ray Microanalysis (EPMA) is a spatially resolved, quantitative elemental analysis technique based on the generation of characteristic X rays by a focused beam of energetic electrons. EPMA is used to measure the concentrations of elements (beryllium to the actinides) at levels as low as 100 parts per million (ppm) and to determine lateral distributions by mapping. The modern EPMA instrument consists of several key components ... 

For atoms having an atomic number greater than 10, the electron filling the inner shell vacancy may come from one of several possible subshells, each at a different energy, resulting in families of characteristic X-ray energies, e.g., the Ka, P family, the La, P, y family, etc. 

The critical parameter for X-ray generation is the overvoltage U = Eq/E, yA e.rt. Eq is the incident beam energy. The intensity of characteristic X rays is given by ... 

A consequence of absorption of X rays is the inner shell ionization of the absorbing atoms and the subsequent generation of characteristic X rays from the absorbing atoms, called secondary fluorescence, which raises the generated intensity over that produced by the direct action of the beam electrons. Secondary fluorescence can be induced by both characteristic and bremsstrahlung X rays. Both effects are compo-sitionally dependent. 

Once an inner shell vacancy is created in an atom the atom may then remrn toward its ground state via emission of a characteristic X ray or through a radiationless Auger transition. The probability of X-ray emission is called the fluorescence yield. 

X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) is a nondestructive method used for elemental analysis of materials. An X-ray source is used to irradiate the specimen and to cause the elements in the specimen to emit (or fluoresce) their characteristic X rays. A detector s)rstem is used to measure the positions of the fluorescent X-ray peaks for qualitative identiflcation of the elements present, and to measure the intensities of the peaks for quantitative determination of the composition. All elements but low-Z elements—H, He, and Li—can be routinely analyzed by XRF. 

Measurements of the characteristic X-ray line spectra of a number of elements were first reported by H. G. J. Moseley in 1913. He found that the square root of the frequency of the various X-ray lines exhibited a linear relationship with the atomic number of the element emitting the lines. This fundamental Moseley law shows that each element has a characteristic X-ray spectrum and that the wavelengths vary in a regular fiishion form one element to another. The wavelengths decrease as the atomic numbers of the elements increase. In addition to the spectra of pure elements, Moseley obtained the spectrum of brass, which showed strong Cu and weak Zn X-ray lines this was the first XRF analysis. The use of XRF for routine spectrochemical analysis of materials was not carried out, however, until the introduction of modern X-ray equipment in the late 1940s. 

The production of characteristic X rays is determined by the cross sections discussed above, but the observed X-ray spectra include both these characteristic peaks and a continuous background radiation. A detailed investigation of the origin of... 

The detection of impurities or surface layers (e.g., oxides) on thick specimens is a special situation. Although the X-ray production and absorption assumptions used for thin specimens apply, the X-ray spectra are complicated by the background and characteristic X rays generated in the thick specimen. Consequently, the absolute detection limits are not as good as those given above for thin specimens. However, the detection limits compare very favorably with other surface analysis techniques, and the results can be quantified easily. To date there has not been any systematic study of the detection limits for elements on surfaces however, representative studies have shown that detectable surface concentrations for carbon and... 

Rutherford Backscattering (RBS) provides quantitative, nondestructive elemental depth profiles with depth resolutions sufficient to satisfy many requirements however, it is generally restricted to the analysis of elements heavier than those in the substrate. The major reason for considering depth profiling using FIXE is to remove this restrictive condition and provide quantitative, nondestructive depth profiles for all elements yielding detectable characteristic X rays (i.e.,Z> 5 for Si(Li) detectors). 

Characteristic X rays provide an unambiguous identification of the elements... 

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