Single particle transfer for quantitative analysis with total-reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

Esaka, Fumitaka  ; Esaka, Konomi; Magara, Masaaki  ; Sakurai, Satoshi ; Usuda, Shigekazu; Watanabe, Kazuo

Individual Cu particles were transferred, with a manipulator attached to a scanning electron microscope, onto individual Si carriers for subsequent quantitative analysis by means of total-reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. By applying an internal standard to the carriers prior to the particle transfer, the amounts of Cu were successfully determined for the particles with diameters between 3.04 and 8.84 micrometer. The deviations of the measured values from the calculated ones were within 10%. However, the deviations were more than 33% if particle diameters were greater than 10.17 micrometer. This suggests that in such a case the fluorescent X-ray is not emitted from all parts of the particle. Even if particle diameters were greater than 10.17 micrometer, the amounts of Cu could be determined with the deviations within 9% when the particles were dissolved with HNO solution. This technique was also successfully applied to the measurement of individual brass particles.