The syllabus provides links to an excellent set of online course notes written by Dr. James Wittke who runs the microprobe at Northern Arizona University. The full course notes can be found at his NAU Microprobe Homepage. These are an excellent summary of how microprobes work and how data is analyzed. I have reordered the sequence of these chapters to fit our course syllabus. Many thanks to Dr. Wittke for providing this material online. All of the material is copyrighted by James H. Wittke. 8-Jan-2001 Anatomy of a Microprobe How a microprobe works Electron Microprobe Introduction: Introduction to Microbeam Techniques, Historical Background, Electron Microprobe Analysis, X-ray Fluorescence Analysis, Comparison of Detection Limits Electron Column: Electron Source, Electron Gun Alignment, Condenser Magnetic Lens, Beam Regulator, Multiple Aperture System, Beam Monitor, Objective Lens, Stigmators and Scanning Coils Imaging Systems: Light Optical Microscope, Backscattered Electron Detector, Secondary Electron Detector, Absorbed Current Imaging, X-Ray Imaging, Photographic System Vacuum System: Mechanical Pumps, Oil Diffusion Pump Sample Stage & EMP Samples:Stage, Samples, Sample Preparation, Carbon Coating 22-Jan-2001 Electron and X-ray Theory How electrons and x-rays are related and what they can do for you Primary Absorption & Secondary Fluorescence: Primary Absorption, Half-Thickness, Bulk Mass Absorption Coefficent, Secondary Fluorescence Electron Interaction with Matter: Effects of Electron Bombardment, Volume of Excitation, Backscattered and Transmitted Electrons, Secondary Electrons, Auger Electrons, Cathodoluminescence, Heat X-rays: Continuum X-rays, Characteristic X-rays, Origin of Characteristic X-rays, Electron Shells, Electron Transitions, Naming Transitions, Moseley's Law, Line Intensities, Satellite Peaks, Wavelength Shifts 29-Jan-2001 Analysis of Materials How the microprobe can determine elemental composition Wavelength-dispersive Spectrometry: Diffraction of X-rays, Spectrometer Optics, Analyzing Crystals, Take-off Angle, Gas-flow & Sealed Detectors, Detector Theory, Deadtime, Detector Resolution, Escape Peaks, Pulse-height Analysis, Scintillation Detectors, Single-channel Analysers Quantitative Analysis: Calibration Curves, Bence-Albee Matrix Corrections, Alpha Factors, Example Bence-Albee Calculation, ZAF and PAP Matrix Corrections, Atomic Number Corrections (Z), Absorption Correction (A), Fluorescence Correction (F) Energy-dispersive Spectrometry: Semiconductor Detectors, Multichannel Analyzers, Amplifiers, WDS vs. EDS Detection 5-Feb-2001 Data Correction and Analysis How the computer massages the data and how to collect the best data Statistics: Basic Statistical Tools, Mean, Standard Deviation, Standard Error of the Mean, Propogation of Errors, Counting Statistics, Optimum Counting Times, Homogeneity Index, Detection Limits, Accuracy and Precision Treatment of Analytical Data: Significant Digits, Calculations, Rounding, Probe Results, Mineral Stoichiometry Calculations 29-Jan-2001 REFERENCES Microprobe References: Extensive list of references to microprobe texts and papers.