Choose Language • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Abstract The quantification of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) microscopy maps by fitting the raw spectra to a known standard is crucial for evaluating chemical composition and elemental distribution within a material. Synchrotron-based XRF has become an integral characterization technique for a variety of research topics, particularly due to its non-destructive nature and its high sensitivity. Today, synchrotrons can acquire fluorescence data at spatial resolutions well below a micron, allowing for the evaluation of compositional variations at the nanoscale. Through proper quantification, it is then possible to obtain an in-depth, high-resolution understanding of elemental segregation, stoichiometric relationships, and clustering behavior. This article explains how to use the MAPS fitting software developed by Argonne National Laboratory for the quantification of full 2-D XRF maps. We use as an example results from a Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 solar cell, taken at the Advanced Photon Source beamline 2-ID-D at Argonne National Laboratory.

We show the standard procedure for fitting raw data, demonstrate how to evaluate the quality of a fit and present the typical outputs generated by the program. In addition, we discuss in this manuscript certain software limitations and offer suggestions for how to further correct the data to be numerically accurate and representative of spatially resolved, elemental concentrations. Synchrotron-based XRF has been used across multiple disciplines for many decades. For example, it has been used in biology on studies such as that done by Geraki et al., in which they quantified trace amounts of metal concentrations within cancerous and non-cancerous breast tissue 1.

Ps4 to keyboard emulator mac. More generally, quantitative XRF has been applied to a wide array of biology studies concerned with metal concentrations in cells and tissues, as described by Paunesku et al. Similarly, marine protists were studied for trace elements 3, 4 and even micro- and macronutrient distributions were observed within plant cells 5. Microsoft project trial for mac download windows 7. Work by Kemner et al.

6, which identified distinct differences in morphology and elemental composition in single bacteria cells, was also made possible through quantitative XRF analysis. Additionally, and specifically relevant to the example disclosed herein, materials scientists studying solar cell devices have made use of high-resolution XRF for studies on the existence of sub-micron metal impurities in silicon semiconductors 7, 8, correlative work on how elemental distributions affect electrical performance in solar devices 9, 10, and identifying depth-dependent gradients of CIGS thin film solar cells via grazing incidence X-ray fluorescence (GIXRF) 11. Many of these studies make use not only of the high-resolution capabilities of synchrotron X-ray fluorescence to study spatial distribution, but also the quantification of the information for drawing numerical conclusions. In many studies it is critical to know the elemental concentrations associated with the aforementioned spatial distributions. For instance, in the work by Geraki et al., the study required quantifying the difference in concentrations of iron, copper, zinc, and potassium in cancerous and non-cancerous breast tissues, to better understand what concentrations become harmful to human tissues 1.