In 1968, the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) published Special Publication 298 "Quantitative Electron Probe Microanalysis," which contained proceedings of a seminar held on the subject at NBS in the summer of 1967. This publication received wide interest that continued through the years far beyond expectations. The present volume, also the result of a gathering of international experts, in 1988, at NBS (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST), is intended to fulfill the same purpose. After years of substantial agreement on the procedures of analysis and data evaluation, several sharply differentiated approaches have developed. These are described in this publi cation with all the details required for practical application. Neither the editors nor NIST wish to endorse any single approach. Rather, we hope that their exposition will stimulate the dialogue which is a prerequisite for technical progress. Additionally, it is expected that those active in research in electron probe microanalysis will appreciate more clearly the areas in which further investigations are warranted.

In 1968, the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) published Special Publication 298 "Quantitative Electron Probe Microanalysis," which contained proceedings of a seminar held on the subject at NBS in the summer of 1967. This publication received wide interest that continued through the years far beyond expectations. The present volume, also the result of a gathering of international experts, in 1988, at NBS (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST), is intended to fulfill the same purpose. After years of substantial agreement on the procedures of analysis and data evaluation, several sharply differentiated approaches have developed. These are described in this publi cation with all the details required for practical application. Neither the editors nor NIST wish to endorse any single approach. Rather, we hope that their exposition will stimulate the dialogue which is a prerequisite for technical progress. Additionally, it is expected that those active in research in electron probe microanalysis will appreciate more clearly the areas in which further investigations are warranted.

Examines practical and theoretical aspects of the techniques of electron-probe microanalysis, providing material both for practical microanalysts interested in problems and procedures and for researchers who require greater understanding of the principles and developments in correction models.

Originally published in 2005, this book covers the closely related techniques of electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) specifically from a geological viewpoint. Topics discussed include: principles of electron-target interactions, electron beam instrumentation, X-ray spectrometry, general principles of SEM image formation, production of X-ray 'maps' showing elemental distributions, procedures for qualitative and quantitative X-ray analysis (both energy-dispersive and wavelength-dispersive), the use of both 'true' electron microprobes and SEMs fitted with X-ray spectrometers, and practical matters such as sample preparation and treatment of results. Throughout, there is an emphasis on geological aspects not mentioned in similar books aimed at a more general readership. The book avoids unnecessary technical detail in order to be easily accessible, and forms a comprehensive text on EMPA and SEM for geological postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, as well as those working in industrial laboratories.

30% discount for members of The Mineralogical Society of Britain and Ireland This text covers the range of microanalytical techniques available for the analysis of geological samples, principally in research applications. Each chapter is written in a clear, informative style and has a tutorial element, designed to introduce each technique for the beginning and experienced researcher alike.

In the spring of 1963, a well-known research institute made a market survey to assess how many scanning electron microscopes might be sold in the United States. They predicted that three to five might be sold in the first year a commercial SEM was available, and that ten instruments would saturate the marketplace. In 1964, the Cambridge Instruments Stereoscan was introduced into the United States and, in the following decade, over 1200 scanning electron microscopes were sold in the U. S. alone, representing an investment conservatively estimated at $50,000- $100,000 each. Why were the market surveyers wrongil Perhaps because they asked the wrong persons, such as electron microscopists who were using the highly developed transmission electron microscopes of the day, with resolutions from 5-10 A. These scientists could see little application for a microscope that was useful for looking at surfaces with a resolution of only (then) about 200 A. Since that time, many scientists have learned to appreciate that information content in an image may be of more importance than resolution per se. The SEM, with its large depth of field and easily that often require little or no sample prepara interpreted images of samples tion for viewing, is capable of providing significant information about rough samples at magnifications ranging from 50 X to 100,000 X. This range overlaps considerably with the light microscope at the low end, and with the electron microscope at the high end.