Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Low-voltage EDS Spectrum Images

Abstract Whereas energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) has been used for compositional analysis in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) for 30 years, the benefits of using low (<5 kV) operating voltages for such analyses have been explored only during the last few years. This paper couples low-voltage EDS with two other emerging areas of characterization: spectrum imaging and multivariate statistical analysis (MSA). The specimen analyzed for this study was a finished Intel Pentium processor, with the polyimide protective coating stripped o ff to expose the final active layers. Data acquisition was performed with a Philips XL30-FEG SEM operated at 2 kV and equipped with an Oxford super-ATW detector and XP3 pulse processor. The specimen was normal to the electron beam and the take-off angle for acquisition was 35°. The microscope was operated with a 150 μm diameter final aperture at spot size 6, which yielded an X-ray count rate of ∼1000 s-1.