Method and Apparatus for Analysis

An analysis apparatus comprising:

• an electron optical system for irradiating a sample with an electron beam to emit X-rays from the sample;
• a plurality of wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDS) spectrometers for spectrally dispersing the emitted X-rays into an X-ray spectrum;
• and
• a processor for correcting the intensity of X-rays from an element under analysis within the X-ray spectrum;
• wherein the processor operates (i) to produce the X-ray spectrum by spectrally dispersing the X-rays emitted from the sample by the use of at least a first one of the WDS spectrometers, (ii) to obtain information about timewise variations of an intensity of X-rays from a corrective element by spectrally dispersing the X-rays emitted from the sample by the use of at least a second one of the WDS spectrometers and detecting therefrom X-rays originating from the corrective element, and (iii) to correct an intensity of the X-rays from the element under analysis based on the information about the timewise variations of the intensity of the X-rays from the corrective element;
• and
• wherein in the step of correcting the intensity of the X-rays from the element under analysis, information about the intensity of the X-rays from the corrective element detected at the same timing as the X-rays from the element under analysis is obtained from the information about the timewise variations of the intensity of the X-rays from the corrective element, and the intensity of the X-rays from the element under analysis is corrected based on the information about the intensity of the X-rays from the corrective element detected at the same timing as the X-rays from the element under analysis.