Hidden features in Probe Image

[John Donovan]

Probe Image is very easy to use, so there really aren't many "hidden features" in there.

So this is a small thing but it is really nice for setting up x-ray maps when acquiring multiple spectrometer passes because you are quantifying more elements than you have spectrometers.

For example you might want to first map: Si, Fe, Mg, Na, K on the first acquisition, and then on the second map acquisition you might want to map: Ti, Mn, F, Cl, Ca.  Of course this can be repeated for more elements.

So when you're setting up multiple spectrometer passes you will have a PFE probe run already, so with that file open go to the Acquire! window and click on the Peaking Options button.  You will see this dialog, and please note the controls outlined in red:



Using this dropdown list and the button you can have PFE move to each spectrometer pass based on the element order on that spectrometer.

Then in Probe Image one simply clicks the ELM All button to read in these elements, x-rays, peak positions, PHA  values, and off-peak offsets (if needed) as seen here:



Next create another sample setup in PI (using the Insert After button), using the same sample name and again from PFE click the button to move to the 2nd pass elements as seen here:



Then with the 2nd sample selected in PI, again click the ELM All button to read in these 2nd pass elements as seen here:



Easy as pie!   This process can be repeated if necessary for additional (3rd or 4th mapping pass) elements.
john

[John Donovan]

Probe Image is very easy to use, so there really aren't many "hidden features" in there.

So this is a small thing but it is really nice for setting up x-ray maps when acquiring multiple spectrometer passes because you are quantifying more elements than you have spectrometers.

For example you might want to first map: Si, Fe, Mg, Na, K on the first acquisition, and then on the second map acquisition you might want to map: Ti, Mn, F, Cl, Ca.  Of course this can be repeated for more elements.

So when you're setting up multiple spectrometer passes you will have a PFE probe run already, so with that file open go to the Acquire! window and click on the Peaking Options button.  You will see this dialog, and please note the controls outlined in red:



Using this dropdown list and the button you can have PFE move to each spectrometer pass based on the element order on that spectrometer.

Then in Probe Image one simply clicks the ELM All button to read in these elements, x-rays, peak positions, PHA  values, and off-peak offsets (if needed) as seen here:



Next create another sample setup in PI (using the Insert After button), using the same sample name and again from PFE click the button to move to the 2nd pass elements as seen here:



Then with the 2nd sample selected in PI, again click the ELM All button to read in these 2nd pass elements as seen here:



Easy as pie!   This process can be repeated if necessary for additional (3rd or 4th mapping pass) elements.
john

I'm bumping this post forward because recently a customer running some Au/Ag alloys accidentally specified Ag *ka* as the emission line in his Probe Image analytical setup. This gave an error when CalcImage tried to match the acquired X-ray maps with the sample setup in Probe for EPMA.

To avoid this mismatch issue in the future, one should be utilizing the method described in the above post where the user loads the element setup for each spectrometer pass into Probe Image using the Move To button in PFE and the ELM All button in Probe Image. 

This procedure avoids any analytical sample setup mismatches between PFE and PI!

[John Donovan]

The latest version (13.0.4) of Probe for EPMA now automatically updates the .ELM file (used by Probe Image as shown above), to specify the on/off peak and PHA parameters for quant mapping of elements, when either peaking the spectrometers or specifying the off-peak positions in the Plot! window.

This is in case anyone (like me!) forgets to use the Move Selected Elements to On Peak Positions button to update the .ELM file after changing the off-peak positions in Plot!.