Superior Micro-XRF Mapping on Uneven Surfaces with Aperture Management System

Micro-XRF analysis in SEM is an ideal solution for characterizing samples with high topography in application fields such as materials science, cultural heritage, and geology. However the limited depth of field causes areas outside the focal plane to become blurred. This results in reduced accuracy of the elemental distribution and low signal quality.

XTrace 2 addresses the challenges of elemental analysis on highly topographic samples thanks to the Aperture Management System (AMS) option.

AMS minimizes beam divergence and preserves focus across a wide depth range, enabling imaging of samples with complex topography. The AMS is available in two configurations (AMS 500 or AMS 1000) to accommodate most analytical needs, and its insertion into the beam path is entirely software controlled.

Figure 1 depicts a copper-bearing mineral with a highly uneven surface, with up to 5 mm height variation between its highest and lowest points. For measurement, the focus was set in the middle of the sample. In Figure 2, the difference is evident: without AMS applied, the micro‑XRF map shows blurred elemental distributions for Ca and Cu in both the highest and lowest regions (indicated by arrows). When AMS 500 is applied, the entire region exhibits sharply defined elemental distributions.

The total X‑ray intensity map reflects the sum of all detected X‑ray counts across the sample, highlighting areas that emit more X‑rays, which typically correspond to regions with greater density or thickness