An improved interference correction for trace element analysis
We present a simple expression for the quantitative treatment of interference corrections in x-ray analysis. WDS electron probe analysis of standard reference materials illustrate the success of the technique.For the analytical line of wavelength λ of any element A which lies near or on any characteristic line of another element B, the observed x-ray counts at We use to denote x-ray counts excited by element i in matrix j (u=unknown; s=analytical standard; ŝ=interference standard) at the wavelength of the analytical line of A, λA (Fig. 1). Quantitative analysis of A requires an accurate estimate of These counts can be estimated from the ZAF calculated concentration of B in the unknown C,Bu measured counts at λA in an interference standard of known concentration of B (and containing no A), and ZAF correction parameters for the matrices of both the unknown and the interference standard at It can be shown that: