Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2019
While the theoretical basis for the correction of non-linearity of detector systems is well known, methods for the determination of dead-time effects must be adapted to electron probe microanalyzer systems. Two such methods, one employing both X-ray and current measurements and the other employing simultaneous X-ray measurements on two spectrometers, are described. The effect of pulse-height shrinkage at high counting rates on the linearity of the detector system is discussed. When the proposed corrections for the dead-time of X-ray detector systems employing proportional counters are applied to the X-ray intensity measurements obtained with the electron probe microanalyzer, count rates as high as 50,000 counts/sec can be used.