thanks for the plug for the Thermo software. Those are neat images, and illustrate exactly what I am after. I need the WDS sensitivity to resolve fine minor/trace element zoning, like P in olivine, by combining counts from more than 1 spectrometer.
There's another solution that I forgot to mention: we sell a switch box and cable set that allows one to connect their WDS spectrometers to the single WDS input on your existing Thermo hardware. Using this switch one can select any single channel or any combination of WDS channels (to improve sensitivity if they are tuned to the same emission line) and these WDS counts are then displayed in your existing NSS spectrum imaging application. Attached below are pictures of the front and back of this box when it was connected to my SX100 (before I switched over to the new 5 channel input hardware from Thermo).
There is another advantage of this switch box: if your sample is not flat and you want to minimize topographical effects in your acquisition, you can select two spectrometers that are opposite each other on the instrument and combine these two signals. Oh, and here's another advantage: if you want to reduce Bragg defocusing effects in the acquisition (e.g., at low mag), you can combine WDS signals from two WDS spectrometers that are 90 degrees (or so) from each other!
Dang, this is a good idea for the new 5 channel WDS input hardware in NSS. I should talk to Thermo so they can modify their NSS to allow different combinations of WDS inputs channels.
The "crude" EDS signal I would use mainly for modal analysis if it's acquired at the same time. Crude, because our 2008 SDD is only 10mm2, bought with nothing other than simple phase-ID in mind.
Well I wouldn't say "crude", just smaller geometric efficiency. I have the same SDD detector on my Sx100, but by using the switchbox described above, you can double, triple, etc your WDS mapping sensitivity!
I am puzzled, however, that the EDS ROIs from Thermo NSS work with the quantitative analysis in PFE, but not with mapping... why is that different? Can you please explain?
Yes.
We acquire and store the full EDS spectrum for every WDS analysis (standards and unknowns). When you decide to quant one of more elements by EDS (even if you are off-line for data re-processing), you specify the ROI(s), that is to say, element(s) of interest and and PFE uses the Thermo NSS to extract the net intensities for the specified element(s) (and also the net intensities from the assigned EDS standards for full k-ratio calculations), which are then combined with the WDS element k-ratios (if any) and then they are all cranked through the matrix correction together.
The point being that these ROIs are "software" ROIs as opposed to "hardware" ROIs and so cannot be sent to the JEOL (or Cameca) mapping inputs. However as I mentioned above, you can map using your existing Thermo single WDS channel input (by manually connecting it with a BNC cable), or buy the additional 4 WDS input hardware from Thermo, or buy the 5 channel WDS switch box from Probe Software.
Seems like a reasonable number of choices!
