The Atomic Number Dependence of the X-Ray Continuum Intensity and the Practical Calculation of Background in Energy Dispersive Electron Microprobe Analysis

Computer fitting techniques have been used to derive a new expression for the relationship between X-ray continuum intensity and atomic number for a range of electron accelerating potentials up to 25 kV, continuum energies up to 10 keV and average atomic numbers up to thirty. A practical approach to background corrections in energy dispersive electron microprobe analysis, which utilizes this expression, is outlined. The procedure should lead to significant improvements in both accuracy and detection limits in this method of X-ray analysis.