This "homemade" system looks very impressive and much more better than JEOL monoCL system. JEOL monoCL system is "completely" separated from EPMA system.
Since I have never used Cameca EPMA, I can't figure out how you can get both panchromatic CL image and CL spectrum. Do you need to retract the optical microscope (OM) tube in order to put your sliding interface? (This is the way JEOL does for their own monoCL system so that it is impossible to focus using OM on the spot where you want to get CL.)
If not, is it possible to apply your "homemade" CL system (both for imaging and spectrum) to JEOL EPMA (JXA-8530F) possibly into a port on the right of OM port as seen an attached photo)?
Thanks,
Changkun
Hi Changkun,
Great questions.
On our Cameca instrument seen here:
http://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=883.msg5626#msg5626you will note that the CL detectors have a sliding mechanical interface with two detents. One position for normal "mono" or panchromatic analog signal CL imaging using the OEM PMT detector, and another 2nd detent position that allows light from the light optics to be focused to the tip of a fiber optic that connects to our optical spectrometer from Ocean Optics for collecting CL spectra from 350 nm to 1000 nm. Obviously not at the same time though!
One could also add a mechanical connection that inserts a parabolic mirror in the side port of the Cameca EPMA instrument (as we have done in our homemade CL system for our SEM), but if we did that on the EPMA then one cannot collect WDS and optical signals at the same time...
http://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=201.msg3720#msg3720You might want to see what they did in Singapore on their 8530:
http://probesoftware.com/smf/index.php?topic=517.msg2883#msg2883Basically it has a separate optical tube which is focused on the beam incident spot, but located as close to the sample as it can be for optical efficiency. Currently I only have drivers for Ocean Optics spectrometers, so I would suggest that you fabricate (or purchase) an optical unit that can be inserted into the low power optics port (I think that's what your photo shows), and then run a fiber optic from there to a spectrometer. I bought an Ocean Optics USB-4000 for about $5K a while back, but better spectrometers (back thinned CCD) are available from them also, for more money.
By the way, what the xCLent system does is replace some elements of the JEOL light optics (for better IR transmission) and collect the light for a fiber connection to an Ocean Optics spectrometer. But it is rather expensive... so if you only need CL spectra from points (no CL spectrum imaging), then an optical unit, fiber and Ocean Optics spectrometer is all you need to automate CL spectrum acquisition with your WDS and EDS in Probe for EPMA.
john