X-ray Spectroscopy

X-ray spectroscopy is a valuable tool for qualitative and quantitative element analysis. Each element has characteristic peak positions corresponding to the possible transitions in its electron shell. The presence of copper, for example, is indicated by two K peaks at about 8.0 and 8.9 keV and a L peak at 0.85 eV. In heavy elements like tungsten, a lot of different transitions are possible and many peaks are therefore present. TEMs are almost exclusively equipped with energy-dispersive spectrometers (energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy EDXS).

All possible peaks of an element can be calculated by a tool or are listed.