Dr. Shangshang Mu, Applications Engineer, Gatan/EDAX
The new APEX™ 3.0 is the ultimate materials characterization software, integrating Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), and Wavelength Dispersive Spectrometry (WDS) to deliver previously unattainable solutions. This optimized configuration offers the uncompromised performance of each technique and allows users to combine them for the ultimate materials insight. All three techniques seamlessly operate within the APEX, blending powerful elemental and crystallographic analysis routines through an intuitive interface to deliver outstanding data collection, faster analysis, and flexible reporting for users of all levels.
What does APEX WDS look like?
WDS functionalities are implemented seamlessly with the EDS graphical user interface. The user can quickly adapt to the new functionalities and employ WDS when and where EDS reaches the limit. With one-click from start to finish, Auto WDS allows fully automated WDS scan list generation, optimum sample height determination, and spectrum collection. It simultaneously collects EDS and WDS spectra and displays them side-by-side or overlaid for easy data visualization and interpretation (Figure 1), with no overlapping or overloading of windows.
Figure 1. Simultaneous EDS-WDS spectrum acquisition user interface.
APEX allows you to set an intermediate position for the EDS detector to ensure optimal count rates for both techniques.
Figure 2. Simultaneous EDS-WDS mapping user interface.
Sets of combined EDS-WDS spectrum, linescan, and mapping data at different stage positions can be done via automated batch collection routines (Figure 2) to streamline SEM experiments. EDS and WDS data collection settings are managed in one user-friendly batch scan list (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Combined EDS-WDS batch list.
The quantitative elemental analysis supports individual technique or combined EDS-WDS standards. You can easily switch between EDS and WDS standards for each element by clicking on the icon in front of the element (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Quantitative results with combined EDS-WDS standards.
With the addition of WDS capabilities, APEX 3.0 now includes EDS, EBSD, and WDS. Each characterization tool can operate independently to utilize EDAX’s technological advancements or integrates data to provide solutions that were once unachievable.
My wife is a schoolteacher, and 2 of my boys are still at home in 6th and 8th grade, so at this time of year we start counting the number of days of school left and looking forward to summer vacation. This year is especially poignant to me, as my 8th grader is finishing 8th grade and graduating up to high school. Of course, this time of year is the time of graduations, and makes me think back to my graduation. I graduated in 1995, and immediately went to work at TSL. If my math is correct, that means it’s been 24 years directly involved in EBSD and the microanalysis world.
As my wife would tell you, I’m not always the best planner. I got into materials science because I was curious about making fishing rods. That dream lasted until an organic chemistry class and developing a fear of memorizing molecules. Luckily, I was able to work in the university Electron Microscopy lab as a student, where I had a great opportunity to learn to operate microscopes. That lead to the opportunity at TSL where they wanted someone with a material science background (check), SEM experience (check), and who wanted to travel (I’m close to a million miler so while I won’t claim to love travel, I’ve held up my end of the deal). I certainly didn’t know I’d still be working at the same place 24 years later, but it’s been an enjoyable ride watching the growth and development of the EBSD technique from this perspective.
In reminiscing, it’s easy to recognize all the changes that have occurred in this time: email, iPhones, faster EBSD cameras. I found it interesting though, there are several fundamental truths that really haven’t changed. For this blog, I thought I’d share some examples.
You can communicate a lot about a microstructure with an IPF orientation map. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I firmly believe one of the driving forces behind the growth of EBSD is the pretty maps that can be created. An IPF map is colorful of course, with the colors representing crystallographic orientations relative to some sample reference frame, but it also often communicates information about the grain size and shape, any internal deformation, and preferred orientation (or texture).
IPF map of ECAP deformed copper
Sample preparation is still key for EBSD. EBSD is a diffraction technique, so for it to be effective, we need diffraction to occur. The surface layers of the crystal must be in a condition to diffract for the EBSD pattern to form. This is often a hard one to accept. We look at hardware and software design to try to make as much of the EBSD workflow as easy as possible, but we don’t have control over this aspect of the process. I had to learn the importance of this too. My training in metallographic preparation was minimal. I did lots of experimentation with mechanical polishing and electropolishing in my first few years just to try and get a pattern. One of my favorite memories is buying a Pyrex baking dish and a tablecloth to hand polish a sample with colloidal silica for an important demo. We got patterns and we got the sale. I’d like to say we then made a cake, but we probably just went out for pizza instead.
Training courses are learning experiences for both the teachers and the students. I’ve been in the EDAX Mahwah home office this week, and the discussion of being an expert came up. There is plenty I know about EBSD, but also plenty I don’t really have good answers for. As I come back to certain questions over and over, I find myself refining my thoughts, perhaps getting closer to a solution I’m satisfied with. New users though, evaluate those answers through a different perspective. I still enjoy when I can help someone else learn and apply a new concept, and enjoy the process of learning to teach these concepts better.
Travel is always interesting. As I mentioned, when I signed up, I knew some travel would be involved. My initial job offering listed customers in London, Paris, and Australia. Suffice it to say, these were not the first places that I visited. I love seeing new places, exploring the sites, and meeting new people. As for the travel process, I’m grateful for in-flight WiFi and on-demand movies to help pass the time. I haven’t forgotten the days of waiting for the movie to start or having to pack 4-5 books to last through my trip. I’ve been invited over to the home of graduate students for homemade meals, fallen asleep on a Japanese train and woken up without knowing where I was and which direction I was going, been stuck in an elevator between floors, accidentally winning a trick-shot pool competition by leaving a dent in a wall of a customer’s basement (and having the trophy to show for it), been questioned by the Prague transit patrol, and had my wallet stolen in Paris. Sometimes trips are memorable, sometimes the hotel rooms blend all together, but it’s always interesting.
Tricky Shot Trophy
There are many more I can share, and I’m sure many more that will become more visible as my career continues to progress. I take great pleasure in sharing my acquired knowledge of EBSD with customers and seeing them learn and apply this to further their work. I hope everyone has a wonderful summer.
I recently had the opportunity to attend the RMS EBSD meeting, which was held at the National Physics Lab outside of London. It was a very enjoyable meeting, with lotsof nice EBSD developments. While I was there, I was able to take in a bit of London as well. One of the places I visited was the Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. While I didn’t get a chance to see a show here (I saw School of Rock instead), it did get me thinking about one of the Bard’s more famous lines, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet” from Romeo and Juliet.
I bring this up because as EBSD Product Manager for EDAX, one of my responsibilities is to help name new products. Now my academic background is in Materials Science and Engineering, so understanding how to best name a product has been an interesting adventure.
TSL
The earliest product we had was the OIM™ system, which stood for Orientation Imaging Microscopy. The name came from a paper introducing EBSD mapping as a technique. At the time, we were TSL, which stood for TexSem Laboratories, which was short for Texture in an SEM. Obviously, we were into acronyms. We used a SIT (Silicon Intensified Target) camera to capture the EBSD patterns. We did the background processing with a DSP-2000 (Digital Signal Processor). We controlled the SEM beam with an MSC box (Microscope System Control).
Our first ‘mapped’ car.
For our next generator of products, we branched out a bit. Our first digital Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) camera was called the DigiView, as it was our first digital camera for capturing EBSD patterns instead of analog signals. Our first high-speed CCD camera was called Hikari. This one may not be as obvious, but it was named after the high-speed train in Japan, as Suzuki-san (our Japanese colleague) played a significant role in the development of this camera. Occasionally, we could find the best of both worlds. Our phase ID product was called Delphi. In Greek mythology, Delphi was the oracle who was consulted for important decisions (could you describe phase ID any better than that?). It also stood for Diffracted Electrons for Phase Identification.
Among our more recent products, PRIAS™ stands for Pattern Region of Interest Analysis System. Additionally, though, it is meant to invoke the hybrid use of the detector as both an EBSD detector and an imaging system. TEAM™ stands for Texture and Elemental Analysis System, which allowed us to bridge together EDS and EBSD analysis in the same product. NPAR™ stands for Neighbor Pattern Averaging and Reindexing, but I like this one as it sounds like I named it because of my golf game.
I believe these names have followed in the tradition of things like lasers (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus), and CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart). It generates a feeling of being part of the club, knowing what these names mean.
Velocity™ EBSD Camera
The feedback I get though, is that our product names should tell us what the product does. I don’t buy into this 100%, as my Honda Pilot isn’t a self-driving car, but it is the first recommendation on how to name a product (https://aytm.com/blog/how-to-name-a-product-10-tips-for-product-naming-success/). Following this logic, our latest and world’s fastest EBSD camera is the Velocity™. It sounds fast, and it is.
Of course, even when using this strategy, there can be some confusion. Is it tEBSD (Transmission EBSD) or TKD (Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction)? Does HR-EBSD give us better spatial resolution? Hopefully as we continue to name new products, we can make our answer clear.
After all these years I still get excited about new technologies and their resulting products, especially when I have had the good fortune to play a part in their development. As I look forward to 2019, there are new and exciting products on the horizon from EDAX, where the engineering teams have been hard at work innovating and enhancing capabilities across all product lines. We are on the verge of having one of our most productive years for product introduction with new technologies expanding our portfolio in electron microscopy and micro-XRF applications.
Our APEX™ software platform will have a new release early this year with substantial feature enhancements for EDS, to be followed by EBSD capabilities later in 2019. APEX™ will also expand its wings to uXRF providing a new GUI and advanced quant functions for bulk and multi-layer analysis.
Our OIM Analysis™ EBSD software will also see a major update with the addition of a new Dictionary Indexing option.
A new addition to our TEM line will be a 160 mm² detector in a 17.5 mm diameter module that provides an exceptional solid angle for the most demanding applications in this field.
Elite T EDS System
Velocity™, EDAX’s low noise CMOS EBSD camera, provides astonishing EBSD performance at greater than 3000 fps with high indexing on a range of materials including deformed samples.
Velocity™ EBSD Camera
Last but not least, being an old x-ray guy, I can’t help being so impressed with the amazing EBSD patterns we are collecting from a ground-breaking direct electron detection (DED) camera with such “Clarity™” and detail, promising a new frontier for EBSD applications!
It will be an exciting year at EDAX and with that, I would like to wish you all a great, prosperous year!
Thank you to all the followers of our blog – we hope that you have been entertained, informed and amused by our posts this year. We will be taking a break until the second week of January 2019, but if you need any extra diversion over the holidays, don’t forget to take a look at the resources we have shared with you during the year and catch up on anything you may have missed. We wish you a happy and healthy New Year and look forward to talking to you again in 2019.
All our on-demand webinars can be found here. You can also find us on the following platforms:
For years I have been attending the Denver X-ray conference (DXC) and it is hard when it coincides with the Microscopy and Microanalysis Conference (M&M) as it has a few times in the past several years. It is just difficult for me to accept that the overlap is not avoidable!
My interests are twofold, marketing activities where my main responsibility lie, and technical sessions which still pique my curiosity and which are beneficial for future product development. In the past couple of years at M&M, it has been great to attend sessions devoted to the 50 year anniversaries of electron microscopy, technical evolution, and algorithms, where my colleagues have either been the subject of presentations or have given papers. I have had the fortune to meet and, in some cases, to reacquaint with some of the main contributors to the scientific advancement of electron microscopy.
Being at M&M, I have missed the final years of attendance at DXC of the “old-timers” who have retired. These are gentlemen, in the true meaning of the word, whom I have had the honor of knowing for over 30 years and who have been more than generous with their time with me. I recognize most of all their devotion and contribution in advancing x-ray analysis to where it is today. Their absence will be felt especially in the development of methodology and algorithm. As a friend, who was frustrated with the lack of availability of scientists with a deep knowledge in the field, recently put it, “these guys don’t grow on trees.”
Back at M&M this year, I listened to Frank Eggert talking about the “The P/B Method. About 50 Years a Hidden Champion”, and he brought back many memories. I recognized most of his referenced names, and the fact that they are no longer active in the industry! Looked around the room, I saw more people of the same hair color as mine (what is left). I thought about the XRF/XRD guys I used to know and who are also no longer around the industry. The old Pete Seeger song popped up in my mind with a new verse as; “where have all the algorithmic guys gone?”
For an applications engineer, M&M is our biggest and most stressful event. Back to back demos while making sure everything is perfect to truly show off the best you can offer, with presentations and poster thrown in for good measure. There is no real time to reflect during the show, so as the dust settles, I always like to reflect on the year past and the one coming (in our world it seems as though the year really begins and ends in August).
Over the past year, the EDAX EBSD world has seen major changes with the release of the Velocity™ detector. It was well received by our customers, which puts a smile on my face. Over the next year, you guys will have the system to play with and will really learn the power of it, showing that our hard work and time spent has really paid off. There is so much more in the works on the EBSD side that I wish I could tell you about. Stay tuned for that ride. It should be fun and exciting.
Velocity™ EBSD Camera
As for the EDS world, the release of the Elite T was a great group effort with many small changes behind the scenes making big differences to the product, with more to come.
That said, APEX™ still seems to steal the spotlight (sorry Matt!). With features being added quickly to each internal build, we see our customers’ needs being fulfilled one line of code at a time and in time, you will see them too.
EDAX webinar series.
While hardware and software are key, I think that it is just as important to reflect on all the interactions we have at the show with all our customers, partners and friends. It helps me understand what we did right (and wrong) on our journey in the last year. Between workshops, onsite training sessions, and shows, I see customers both at their work sites, seeing what they are working with, and out at a neutral site learning from their colleagues about what’s new in tech or new ways to answer interesting questions. This helps us all to understand your needs and wants, and where we as a community are going and growing.
With that in mind, I am turning this blog back over to you. Where do you see microanalytical technology going in the next year? What application areas do you see expanding? What is the best way for us to disseminate information to you, our users? (webinars, videos, blogs, workshops?) We invite you to Leave a Reply via the link below.
Sue Arnell, Marketing Communications Manager, EDAX
The EDAX Applications and Product Management teams have been very busy offering free ‘continuing education’ workshops in September and October – with a great global response from our partners and customers.
At the end of September, Applications Specialist Shawn Wallace and Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) Product Manager Matt Nowell joined 6 additional speakers at a ‘Short Lecture Workshop for EBSD’, sponsored by EDAX at the Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis (CEMAS) at The Ohio State University. The participants attended sessions ranging from ‘EBSD Introduction and Optimization of Collection Parameters for Advanced Application’ to ‘The Dictionary Approach to EBSD: Advances in Highly-Deformed and Fine-Grained Materials’.
Feedback on this workshop included the following comments, “This was a great learning opportunity after working with my lab’s EDAX systems for a couple of months”; “I like the diversity in the public and the talks. I was very pleased with the overall structure and outcome”; and “Great! Very helpful.”
Matt Nowell presents at the ‘Short Lecture Workshop for EBSD’ at CEMAS, OSU.
In mid-October, EBSD Applications Specialist, Dr. Rene de Kloe traveled to India for a series of workshops on EBSD at the Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore), the International Advanced Research Center (Hyderabad), and the Indian Institute of Technology (Mumbai). Topics discussed at the sessions included:
• Effects of measurement and processing parameters on EBSD
• The application of EBSD to routine material characterization
• Defining resolution in EBSD analysis
• Three Dimensional EBSD analysis – temporal and spatial
• Advanced data averaging tools for improved EDS and EBSD mapping – NPAR™
• Microstructural Imaging using an Electron Backscatter Diffraction Detector – PRIAS™
• Transmission EBSD from low to high resolution
Dr. René de Kloe presents at one of three recent workshops in India.
According to our National Sales Manager in India, Arjun Dalvi, “We conducted this seminar at different sites and I would like to share that the response from all our attendees was very good. They were all eager to get the training from Dr. René and to take part in very interactive Q and A sessions, in which many analysis issues were solved.”
Global Applications Manager Tara Nylese was at the Robert A. Pritzker Science Center in Chicago, IL last week to give a presentation on “Materials Characterization with Microscopy and Microanalysis” for the Illinois Institute of Technology. “In this lecture, we started with a basic introduction to electron microscopy, and then dived deeper into the fundamentals of X-ray microanalysis. We explored both the basics of X-ray excitation, and how to evaluate peaks in an X-ray spectrum. From there, we looked at applied examples such as composition variation in alloys, chemical mapping of components of pharmaceutical tablets, and some fascinating underlying elemental surprises in biological materials.”
Finally, today we have 50 participants at the Geological Museum in Cambridge, MA for a training workshop given by Dr. Jens Rafaelsen and sponsored by Harvard University on “Taking TEAM™ EDS Software to the Next Level” * Presentation topics include:
• Basic operation of the TEAM™ EDS Analysis package
• How to get the most out of TEAM™ EDS Analysis
• Advanced training
• Tips and Tricks using TEAM™ EDS Analysis
Dr. Jens Rafaelsen presents at the Harvard workshop.
Here at EDAX, we are keen to provide our customers, potential customers, and partners with opportunities to improve their knowledge and polish their skills using the techniques, which are central to the EDAX product portfolio. Our EDS, EBSD, WDS and XRF experts enjoy helping with regular training sessions, webinars, and workshops. If you would like to be included, please check for upcoming webinars, workshops, and training sessions at www.edax.com.
*A video of these workshop sessions will be available from EDAX in the coming weeks.
The Microscopy & Microanalysis (M&M) Conference is celebrating 50 years of microanalysis at this year’s meeting in St. Louis next week. There is an entire session (A18.3) dedicated to the 50-year anniversary and the historical background of microanalysis from several different perspectives.
My colleague, Dr. Patrick Camus will be presenting the history of EDAX in his presentation, “More than 50 Years of Influence on Microanalysis” at this session and this is a must see for everyone who is at all interested in the historical development and advances in microanalysis!
Looking back at some of the images in the field of microscopy and seeing how far we have come from static spectrum collection to the standardless quantification of complex materials makes me wonder (in a good way!), about the future and especially about the technical possibilities in microanalysis.
Figure 1. Nuclear Diodes EDAX System Interfaced to Cambridge Stereoscan Scanning Electron Microscope – circa 1968
Pat will be describing the evolution of the company from Nuclear Diodes (1962) through EDAX International (1972) and purchase by Philips (1974) to acquisition by Ametek in 2001. Many accomplished microanalysts have been part of the EDAX team along the journey and have contributed enormously to the technical development of microanalysis. The advancements which have been made to date and those which will continue in the future would have not been possible without the dedication and hard work of all these pioneers in this field.
Figure 2. EDAX Element Silicon Drift Detector on a Scanning Electron Microscope – 2017.
At EDAX, which happens to be older than 50 years, I have been honored to meet some of the pioneers of microanalysis. I extend my gratitude to all those whose work has made it possible for us to enjoy the level of sophistication achieved today and we hope to continue their innovative tradition!
From the point of view of a regional Sales Manager, for a long time, trade shows were the ultimate way to bring in new customers and reach many of your existing customers all at the same time. However, previously gigantic shows like Pittcon now continue to get smaller and smaller every year. When I attended my first Pittcon in 2000, it was so big that only a few venues in the country could host it. Now it seems that it could be placed anywhere and there is no longer a size issue. With more focus on the internet the trade shows almost seem like they are not needed any longer.
EDAX at AAFS
EDAX at TMS
As you see I said almost. I do feel that participation in tradeshows is and will continue to be important for a long time both for vendors/exhibitors and customers/participants. As exhibitors, they allow us to meet with current customers, see new and exciting trends and/or products, and talk to potential new customers. All of this in one place. Yes, it can be expensive to attend these shows all the time, especially the larger ones but let’s just think about the cost in more detail. Let’s think about it from the perspective of the exhibitor. If we get 50 leads from a larger show that maybe costs $25,000. Wow, that’s $500 per lead. If I were to go out and try to visit 50 potential customers it would take weeks and there would be a lot of travel and a lot more expense. I would say that overall we would probably spend more to visit these 50 potential customers across the region and it would take 4-5 times as long. So not only are we spending more money, we are taking valuable time in doing so.
Sometimes I hear that the exhibitors are saying the show is too long, or that it was a waste of money. I can even say that I have said that in the past as well, but if we look at the bigger picture, it really isn’t that bad. At a trade show we not only have attendees that are there to look, learn, and possibly purchase products or services. They are also coming to see us or other companies like ours and we can be passive and not get a lot out of it or we can be nice, friendly, and accessible. If we are the latter, then we potentially can start up a new relationship with a new customer. At some shows we also have a team there that usually wouldn’t be with us on the door-to-door visits. At a show, we may have product support, sales, service and if needed can address all avenues with one meeting. Potential customers have a chance to see new technology advancements at close hand and can even request an individual demo at a given event. To do this elsewhere would be costlier and more time consuming for both us and for our customers.
EDAX with TESCAN at Pittcon 2017
EDAX at M&M 2016
Some of these large shows probably do need to be shortened as it seems at some of them, the last day is a time where the vendors meet vendors and not a lot of customers are coming around, but even on that note it could be beneficial as this is where we make connections with others doing similar things and there could potentially be partnerships or mutually beneficial outcomes. In short, I will continue to support the value of our events and tradeshow attendance – we look forward to seeing you at ‘M&M 2017’!
