Applications and features of the electron probe—your testing‑probe manufacturer clarifies all your questions.
Release date:
2022-07-06
The test probe manufacturer notes that electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) is a widely applied microbeam analytical technique and an indispensable tool for quality management and quality inspection in high-tech industries, basic manufacturing, agriculture, metallurgy, geology, biology, medicine and public health, environmental protection, and commodity inspection and trade.
Test needle The manufacturer considers the characteristics of electron probe microanalysis as follows: EPMA is a widely applied microbeam analytical technique and an indispensable tool for quality management and quality inspection in high-tech industries, basic industries, agriculture, metallurgy, geology, biology, medicine and public health, environmental protection, and commodity inspection and trade.
Test needle Manufacturers contend that the interaction area between the electron beam and the sample is on the order of cubic micrometers; that is, by leveraging information from characteristic X-rays, secondary electrons, absorbed electrons, backscattered electrons, and cathodoluminescence, one can analyze a sample volume of several cubic micrometers. This approach enables the characterization of compositional, morphological, and chemical‑bonding features within that volume. Micro‑area analysis is one of its key attributes, allowing the correlation of chemical composition with microstructural characteristics, and thus constituting a form of microstructural analysis. By contrast, conventional techniques such as chemical analysis, X-ray fluorescence, and spectroscopic methods are typically employed to determine the average chemical composition over large sample areas, without establishing a link to microstructure. Consequently, they do not permit investigation of the relationship between microstructure and material properties.
Test‑probe manufacturers consider electronic probes to be a nondestructive analytical technique that typically does not damage the sample. After analysis, the sample can remain intact and may be further subjected to additional tests or examinations. Consequently, such techniques are particularly valuable for analyzing precious and rare specimens—such as cultural relics, ancient ceramics, historical coins, and forensic evidence—and are also well suited for providing interim inspection data during production or for re‑analyzing samples that require follow‑up testing after initial examination. With advances in computer‑aided technologies, previously complex calibration calculations in quantitative analysis have been streamlined, enabling rapid qualitative, quantitative, and other types of analyses.
Test needle Manufacturers believe that, owing to the aforementioned characteristics, modern electron probes are widely employed. For any solid material that remains stable in a vacuum, electron probes can be used for compositional analysis and morphological observation, including metals, silicate materials, medical samples, fibers, oxide films, coatings, particulate matter in exhaust gases, cultural relics, paints, and more—particularly in the fields of materials science, geology, mineralogy, and metallurgy.
The test probe manufacturer holds that electronic probes employ two fundamental analytical methods: qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis.
(1) Qualitative Analysis
Test needle The manufacturer defines qualitative analysis as the qualitative elemental analysis of selected points (or regions) in a sample, aimed at identifying the elements present in those specific locations.
Principle of qualitative analysis: Using an optical microscope or an image displayed on a fluorescent screen, select the point to be analyzed and focus the electron beam onto that spot, thereby exciting characteristic X-rays from the sample elements at that location. The X-ray spectrum is detected and displayed by an X-ray spectrometer, and the elemental composition of the sample at the analysis point (or region) is determined based on the wavelength (or energy) corresponding to the peak position of the spectral lines.
The manufacturer of test probes holds that the energy of an X-ray can be expressed as E = hv, where E is the X-ray energy and h is Planck’s constant. Thus, there is a one-to-one correspondence between X-ray energy and frequency, which constitutes the fundamental principle underlying the qualitative analysis performed by energy-dispersive spectrometers.
(2) Quantitative Analysis
Test needle The manufacturer maintains that, under stable electron-beam irradiation, after subtracting background counts from the X-ray spectrum, the intensity values of the characteristic spectral lines (commonly the K-lines) for each element should be proportional to its concentration.
Related News
Shenzhen Huarongfa Electronic Test Co., Ltd.
Huarong Official Account
Room 805–811, Zhongdian Fuhua Building, Fuhong Road, Shenzhen
0755-8303 9902
Sorry, there is currently no content in this section.
You can view other sections.
Sorry, there is currently no content in the current column
You can check other sections
Business license
Business License
Copyright © 2026 Shenzhen Huarongfa Electronic Test Co., Ltd. Technical Support: www.300.cn Shenzhen SEO