Raising the standard for EDS

As a course attendee, you will learn the fundamentals of the EDS technique, including theory and capabilities using the APEX™ software to enhance your basic EDS/EDX studies.

  • Study the fundamental principles at a pace that is most efficient and convenient for you

  • Unlimited access ensures you can reference best practices during your materials studies

  • Interact with industry specialists through the online discussion forum to ask questions and clarify content

  • Attain a professional certificate upon course completion

Instructor(s)

David Stowe

Senior Product Manager, DPhil

David is a Senior Product Manager responsible for Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) products for EDAX and SEM products for Gatan. He joined Gatan in 2007 as an Application Specialist after graduating with a DPhil and MEng in Metallurgy and Science of Materials from the University of Oxford. In his doctorate and masters research, he used a range of electron beam tools and microscopies to investigate electronic processes in wide band gap materials and to characterize the electrical and optical properties of defects in semiconductors. More recently, he has focused on developing new instrumentation and methodologies to enhance the characterization of materials in the electron microscope.

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome to the course!

    2. Why attend this course

    3. EDS essentials

    1. Basics of EDS

    2. Preparation and setup

    3. Insert the EDS detector

    4. Motorized slide control

    5. Project tree

    6. Overview of APEX EDS software

    1. Basic collection

    2. Define where to capture spectra

    3. Identify elements present in an unknown sample

    4. Display and save spectra

    1. How x-rays are collected and analyzed to form an EDS spectrum

    2. Input/output counts and the role of the SEM and EDS settings

    3. Optimize the analytical working distance to maximize productivity

    4. Adjust default parameters for spectrum collection

    5. Set up more than one spectrum collection

    6. Optimize the navigation image

    7. Drift correction

    1. X-ray spectrum basics to generate elemental maps and perform quantitative analysis

    2. EDS mapping

    3. Collect elemental maps in real time

    4. Optimize collection parameters for EDS maps

    5. Rebuild as NET count or weight and atomic percent maps

    6. Generate phase maps

    7. Montage large area mapping

    1. Capture an EDS line scan

    2. Optimize an EDS line scan

About this course

  • 38 lessons
  • 4 hours of video content