New Features In Probe for EPMA

[Probeman]

The MPB display dialog graph is now wider for improved visibility:

[John Donovan]

Here is an example of digitizing an irregular polygon based on an image template for quant analysis in Probe for EPMA:



These points can then be automatically acquired using stage movement or beam deflection.
john

[John Donovan]

This light optics brightness control is a fairly minor addition to the StageMap window, but it could be useful (especially for 8900/8200/8500 instruments when the UNIX box is down):

[John Donovan]

Some people expressed their strong feelings at the TC 2016 meeting, on adding an additional Start Peaking button in the Peaking Options dialog:



Good thing I'm so easy and nice!   
john

[Probeman]

This is a crop of an x-ray map from my paper coming out next month in Amer. Min. that I think makes a good case for the MAN method, to improve sensitivity, in less time, while maintaining accuracy, for trace element characterization in many materials:



The image titles indicate 3 sec for on-peak plus 3 sec (for off-peak acquisition) per pixel, while the MAN corrected acquisition was only 3 sec per on-peak pixel!

Which means that the off-peak map took 26 hours to acquire, while the MAN background corrected map took 13 hours to acquire, and the MAN x-ray is the more sensitive x-ray map...
john

[John Donovan]

I've improved the integrated intensity scan display and background fitting for quantification, as shown in the screen shots attached below (you must be logged in to see attachments!).
john

[Karsten Goemann]

Hi John,

We did a whole bunch of trace sulphur on 4 (L)PETs by integrated intensities and the results look good.

Your solution with being able to select the background ranges on both sides of the peak in the integrated intensities window is VERY NICE. It looks like this is a global setting that applies to all integrated intensities samples (which is fine)? We didn't see individual sample settings for this e.g. in the Elements/Cations window.

The function to delete single data values also works as intended. With the latest run we still had sporadic high first values with the 2000ms scan delay setting. We'll use this a bit more and then decide if we make the delay longer or just delete a data value every now and then.

Thanks for your work on this. It's definitely much more powerful now. We'll be using this a lot, also for things like oxygen in oxide minerals etc.

Cheers,
Karsten

[John Donovan]

Your solution with being able to select the background ranges on both sides of the peak in the integrated intensities window is VERY NICE. It looks like this is a global setting that applies to all integrated intensities samples (which is fine)? We didn't see individual sample settings for this e.g. in the Elements/Cations window.

Hi Karsten,
That is correct. These new integrated intensity background fit parameters are globals that are saved to each MDB file.

Making the integrated background fit type/number of points specifiable on an element/sample basis is certainly possible, but it would be extra work and so only worth doing if it is necessary.

Thanks for testing this new capability and glad you think it will be useful.  I tend towards using the APF correction method for peak shape/shift issues, but I agree that a direct integrated measurement is generally best, though certainly more time consuming.
john

[John Donovan]

I added a new feature that I've been wanting to do for some time and finally got around to it. Now one can select which sample types the auto-focus methods should be applied to as seen here:

[Anette von der Handt]

Hi John,

This is a very timely additional feature and relevant to my constantly drifting stage. So, if I select "new sample" it will update the other points in the unknown accordingly? Awesome.

[John Donovan]

Hi John,

This is a very timely additional feature and relevant to my constantly drifting stage. So, if I select "new sample" it will update the other points in the unknown accordingly? Awesome.

Absolutely.

The "New Sample",  "Every Point", Digitized" and "Interval" autofocus options were already there, I just added the options for applying them to different sample types (Std, Unk and Wavscans).

[Anette von der Handt]

Yes, i just never realized it would do an update too (and my autofocus is a little temperamental, so I used it sparingly so far).

If I select the interval option will it "update? each time too?

Thanks!

[John Donovan]

Yes, i just never realized it would do an update too (and my autofocus is a little temperamental, so I used it sparingly so far).

If I select the interval option will it "update? each time too?

Thanks!

Yes. It will update every "Interval" points. The update will be applied to the current point and all subsequent points in that position sample.

So for example, if you have 20 points digitized and the auto focus interval is 3, then the software will run the auto focus every 3 positions (starting with the first point of the position sample), and apply that Z offset to the current and subsequent points in the current position sample.

[John Donovan]

This is a set of features that weren't working quite perfectly together (the boys in Tasmania have been busy!), but now these features are working together very nicely!  Here's the deal according to Sandrin:

We first analyse the major and minor elements with a fairly gentle beam current and TDI and then we hit it harder with integrated intensity and 4 spectrometers on one element (e.g., normally either S or Cl) to get good detection limits. That is what we then want to combine [in the Analyze! window].

So I fixed some new code, added an error message and added a checkbox so one can specify that the program load the integrated intensity sample first (don't ask why!) and then add in the TDI sample for a complete combined analysis under very different acquisition modes.

I'm not sure what this sample is (a hydrated glass?), but here is an example of what is described above:



Note that not only are all four spectrometers scanning the sulfur peak, but PFE is also aggregating these integrated intensities into a single channel for the best sensitivity.

[Sandrin Feig]

Thank you for implementing this John. Well done! This will make the processing of the analyses much easier for us.

The analyses shown in the example are indeed from an hydrated glass. They are melt inclusions trapped in Olivine.

Cheers
Sandrin