Software for energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence

Abstract

Abstract Computers have been used in quantitative x‐ray spectroscopy since the 1950s. The algorithms first used were usually based on non‐physical models and were dependent on a large number of calibration data from standard samples. In parallel with the development of the energy‐dispersive x‐ray fluorescence (EDXRF) technique, new software algorithms have been developed based on realistic physical models (e.g. fundamental parameter programs). A review of the basic properties of these programs is given and different methods for peak fitting are discussed. In order to handle and to obtain a survey of the large number of data generated by multi‐element methods such as EDXRF, various ‘post‐processing’ techniques have been developed, and examples of these kinds of techniques are given.