Calibration Specimens for Determining Energy-Dispersive X-ray k-Factors of Boron, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Fluorine

: We have fabricated amorphous thin-film specimens containing light elements (B, C, N, O, F, and Mg) in addition to silicon, and have measured their composition using electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). The films appear to be stable during storage in air and during irradiation by an electron beam, for doses below 10(5) C/cm2. Used with a transmission electron microscope fitted with an energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) detector, they provide a convenient means of determining light-element k-factors for X-ray microanalysis. For a TEM equipped with an electron energy-loss spectrometer, the specimens can also be used to check the EELS instrumentation and elemental-quantification procedures.