Portable pyroelectric electron probe microanalyzer with a spot size of 40 μm

We report a method of reducing the spot size of an electron beam in a portable pyroelectric electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) and its application to on-site microanalysis. An electron beam with a spot size of 40 μm full width at half maximum was achieved by preventing the production of an electric field on the side of a needle tip set on the pyroelectric crystal in the EPMA by coating the side of the tip with an insulating material. This spot...