Transmission Electron Microscopy
TEM X-Ray Detector Test Specimens

Copper Foil on Aluminum Grid

This dual purpose test specimen can be used to calibrate the EDS system and the check the detector efficiency.
The approx. 60nm copper foil on Aluminum generates to well defined K-lines, Al at 1.49 kV and Cu at 8.04 kV which are very useful to calibrate the EDS system.

The uniform 60nm Cu foil generates both Cu K and Cu L lines. The ratio of the Cu-K/L X-ray intensities is measured, which will provide a measure for of EDS detector efficiency. This is assumed to be a constant, but contamination on the EDS detector window can have a significant influence on the detector efficiency (decrease for Cu-L). Regular checks for the ratio of Cu-K/L lines would enable the operator to monitor EDS detector performance.