Noran Instruments, Inc.

Minoru Shinohara

Steven J Foote

A two-piece collimator for use in high takeoff angle energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) is provided. The two-piece collimator includes a base section and an extension section. The collimator base section may be attached rigidly to the end of an EDS detector tube. The collimator extension section is removably attached to and extends from the base section. Apertures through the base and extension sections are easily aligned with each other and with an EDS detector. The length of the collimator extension section is preferably selected such that the distal end of the extension section extends below the bottom of an upper pole piece of an electron microscope in which the collimator is employed. A two-piece collimator in accordance with the present invention effectively reduces stray radiation, including back scattered electrons, which may cause artifacts in a detected EDS X-ray spectrum. Alternatively, a collimator in accordance with the present invention may be used in combination with an existing pole piece insert collimation device by removing the extension section from the two-piece collimator.

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Hitachinaka, Japan

Minoru Shinohara