Dear all,
Is there an open source software which can manage X-ray maps obtained by EDS? I mean, a software that opens raw files obtained from my SEM (.si files). There is for example the NIST-DTSA for point analysis, but what about whole mappings? Thanks in advance.
The big problem is only the huge amount of data which is commonly compressed in order to safe place and therefore not simple to crack. On the other hand, if you take your single spectra and multiply it by 400x300=120.000 spectra, you know an appoximate number of the size. And you need to process them all. Thus, in fact there is no big deal to do this but obviously the driving force to do this is too small. At least I do not know any software which is free an doing this. De facto one could write even a simple script or macro which is doing this using already point analysis software. But, there is still another small problem: the bad statistic of the collected signal :-). You can imagine how long a measurement would take if you would multiply your typical acquisition time (10-30s) by 120.000: 20.000-60.000 min. In other words, if you will see the signal stored for one position you would be shocked. Therefore, specific approximations and averaging procedures are implemented in commercial software packaged which try to compensate these statistical artifacts. There is a lot of know how hidden which one needs to develop again. I am sure that there are guys who can do this much better than the EDX suppliers, but they have usually better things to do than a development of already existing software. Is there a specific reason why do you want to do this?
I am not aware of such a database as I looked for one as well. It seems it may be time for a wiki-type database that if set up correctly could be created and searchable by contributors and users.
There are currently a few groups thinking and actively working on a general standardized data format. As usual, commercial companies are not very interested in this kind of initiative. Often, they are the last ones who contributes with some kind of publication of the data structure of their binary files. Preferred is at the moment HDF5. There is something running at EMAS or the inernational microanalytical society. A good adress is Aaron Thorpy (CSIRO, Australia, Melbourne). Then Bluequartz, a US company mainly dealing with 3D EBSD data and supported by Carnegy Mellon University, Marc de Gaef (Pittsburgh) is highly interested to combine both sources of information. The software can be downloaded for free (DREAM3D). They already use a HDF5 data format but I do not how much this is adjusted with general interests of the international community.
I still know at least two European groups which are working independently on a data format, but this is not very helpful of course. It is more n an experimental level in order to solve a specific problem and will finally end up in a proposal of a data format.
Nevertheless, all these activities are not yet related to write a mapping software usig these EDX data, except perhaps the Bluequartz activity. They are intensively working on a 3D microstructure description using EBSD but for certain limitations of this technique they are forced to consider EDS information as well. Every year in Metz a DREAM3D workshop is running organized by Nathalie Gey and co-workers. If you need more information about the current opportunities of the software, check the DREAM3D homepage (or of Bluequartz. M. Jackson), or contact Nathalie.
Many thanks for your comments. My main concerns are that I am not totally satisfied with my software, and having found very convenient softwares for EDS points analyses (NIST-DTSA) I was wondering about equivalent programs for whole X-ray maps.
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