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Combined Real-Time SEM-EDX: A Versatile and Powerful Guide for Modern Failure Analysis - John Yorston - March 2021 Recording 

04-09-2021 23:32

John Yorston has been doing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for over twenty-five years, both in industry and in instrument sales and applications support. John is a veteran of countless SEM demonstrations and has conducted over 100 industrial new user short courses in SEM and microanalysis. John has a BS in Chemistry from Fairleigh Dickinson University and has a background in high temperature crystal growth and ultra-high pressure industrial diamond synthesis.

 

 Abstract:

Combined Real-Time SEM-EDX: A Versatile and Powerful Guide for Modern Failure Analysis

 

An engineered product’s performance encompasses its design, the chosen raw materials, manufacturing of the part and its service history. The goal is for the part to satisfactorily perform its required and intended function. When the end-result is not fulfilled, scientists and materials engineers turn to the broad failure analysis (FA) field, from non-destructive techniques to more in-depth methods, with the mindset of investigating root causes and providing recommendations for corrective actions and product improvement.

 

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray microanalysis are widely used in routine and advanced failure analysis. A traditional SEM based FA workflow often involves the SEM operator assessing secondary electron (SE) and more often atomic number contrast backscatter electron (BSE) images as a basis for determining regions for subsequent examination and energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis (EDX).

 

A new approach to SEM-based FA is presented here, combining real-time object-based image analysis and segmentation of the live grey-scale SEM images together with quantitative peak elemental assignment from continuous background EDX data.

 

This ChemiSEM™ workflow is illustrated in various industries using metals, polymers, batteries or glass-ceramics, and empowers failure analysts as they can instantly identify defects, abnormalities and other out-of-specs materials, along with the associated chemical assignation and quantification.

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