Cryogenic detector systems for materials analysis

The need to analyze small amounts of materials on surfaces e.g. in semiconductor industry drives the development of high resolution X-ray spectrometers based on superconducting detector technology. Since low excitation energies needed for high spatial resolution in Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopes (FESEM) yield only X-ray lines in the lower part of the X-ray spectrum (<5keV), line overlaps become a serious issue in the spectral analysis. This problem can be overcome with superconducting detector technology having better energy resolution and thus the ability to separate X-ray lines of important material combinations. For industrial applications the cooling system for the superconducting sensor plays an important role, since liquid coolants are not being tolerated in clean room environments. This work will cover the basic needs of the materials analyst as well as the practical implementation of superconducting X-ray spectrometers for industrial applications.