Mansour O, Lateb N, Zoukel A, Hafsi Z, Kadoun A, Khouchaf L
L2MSM Laboratory, Physics department, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Djilali Liabes University, BP.89, Sidi Bel-Abbes 22000, Algeria; Université Ziane Achour de Djelfa, Faculté des sciences et de technologie, Algeria.
Laboratoire Physico-chimie des Matériaux (LPCM), Université Amar Telidji, BP37G 03000 Laghouat, Algeria.
Ultramicroscopy. 2020 Mar;210:112920. doi: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2019.112920. Epub 2019 Dec 14.
In this paper, our previously developed model to account for the secondary X-ray fluorescence and absorption effects near the interface of two adjacent materials in a high-vacuum scanning electron microscope (Zoukel & Khouchaf, 2014) is adapted and extended to experimental conditions of low-vacuum mode (in the presence of a gaseous environment in the SEM analysis chamber). The position shifting effect of the two Gaussian peaks issued from the first derivative equation that can fit the experimental low-vacuum EDS profiles is investigated. The impact of the medium gas on the emission volume of secondary X-rays near the interface is qualitatively discussed. Water vapour and helium are successively used as gas environment, in order to link the resolution of microanalysis profiles with the effects of the X-ray fluorescence and absorption phenomenon. A close agreement between Monte Carlo simulation and experimental results is found.
