The electronic age: energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and other modern techniques to the present and beyond

Abstract

This paper summarizes an oral presentation of the same title presented at the occasion of recognizing the “The 100th Anniversary of X-ray Spectroscopy” at DXC 2013. It gives an overview of the development in electronics with focus on (mainly) energy-dispersive X-ray detectors and related data processing. Naturally this has its origin in the early transistors and the first semiconductor junction detectors of the late 1940s. It was followed by refinement of semiconductor detector technology in general and particularly by the invention of Li-drifting and employment of low-noise field effect transistors until such devices matured sufficiently to be marketed by the late 1960s. Further improvement followed in resolution, speed, operability at room temperature, and development of junction arrays with imaging capabilities. An important aspect is the development of related software requiring affordable laboratory computers, programming languages, and databases of fundamental parameters. Today x-ray fluorescence analysis (and not only the energy-dispersive variant) is widely employed as an analytical tool for the traditional technical and industrial applications but notably also, at an expanding rate as well as variety, in other fields including environmental, medical, archaeological, space, arts, and many more.

2015 Atomic Spectrometry Update – a review of advances in X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and their applications

“…Such imaging applications suggest a need for increasingly complex data evaluation tools based on reliable statistics and chemometrics. The Denver X-ray Conference in 2013 celebrated the 100 th anniversary of X-ray spectroscopy with a number of retrospective oral presentations including that by Mantler whose subsequent paper 8 summarised the development in electronics with focus on (mainly) energy-dispersive Xray detectors and related data processing that nd use in many elds including environmental, medical, archaeological, space, arts and industry. Also in 2013, the 15 th International Conference on total reection TXRF Analysis and Related Methods was combined with the 49 th Annual Conference on X-ray Chemical Analysis (TXRF) as described by Misra 9 in an overview of recent laboratory activities in India.…”