Fast STEM spectrum imaging using simultaneous EELS and EDS in Gatan Microscopy Suite software
Up to now, researchers performing analytical investigations in the transmission electron microscope typically had to choose between analytical spectroscopy techniques. They might choose energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis when working with thick samples containing high-Z elements, or choose electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) when studying low-Z species in thin samples. With the advent of scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) instruments with both high mechanical stability and high brightness probes, coupled with the latest generation of fast, efficient x-ray and EELS detectors, choosing among complementary techniques is a significant restriction. The acquisition systems available up to now have forced a choice because EELS, EDS, and fast scanning have not been designed to work together, resulting in inefficient data collection once the acquisition time per pixel dropped below a few tenths of a second.