| Abstract: | In addition to the production of secondary electrons and secondary ions, characteristic x‐ray emission may also result from ion/solid interactions and is the basis for the well‐known analysis technique referred to as particle‐induced x‐ray emission. Characteristic x‐rays may be emitted by either bombardment by MeV protons or heavy ions of a few keV. The advantage to heavy ions is that the x‐ray yield is confined to the region near the surface defined by the collision cascade. An advantage of heavy ion‐induced x‐ray emission over electron‐induced x‐ray emission is that the Bremsstrahlung is potentially orders of magnitude lower. Thus, ion‐induced x‐ray spectra may provide for superior peak‐to‐noise ratios, and there‐fore, offers trace element sensitivity compared with elec‐tron‐induced x‐ray emission. In addition, the near surface ion/solid interactions also allow for the possibility of surface analysis or depth profiling. A Dual Beam instrument was used to collect focused ion beam‐induced x‐ray (FIBIX) spectra. The acquisition of characteristic x‐rays from targets via FIBIX is demonstrated and compared with scanning electron microscopy‐induced x‐ray energy dispersive spectroscopy spectra and is consistent with the theory described above. |
