Self-consistent absorption correction for quantitative energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of InGaN layers in analytical transmission electron microscopy

A new method of absorption correction for energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope is tested on InGaN samples. We simulate the effective k-factor for the In L line with respect to Ga L or Ga K and plot this as a function of the Ga K/L intensity ratio, which can be directly measured from experimental spectra. This basically performs an internal self-consistency check in the quantification using differently absorbed X-ray lines, which is in principle equivalent to an absorption correction as a function of specimen thickness but has the practical advantage that neither specimen thickness nor density or mass-thickness of the specimens need actually be measured.