The EDAX Octane Elite Ultra is a cutting-edge energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) system for compositional analysis in scanning electron microscopes (SEM). It sets a new benchmark with its proprietary windowless 160 mm2 EDS detector, delivering superior sensitivity to both light and heavy elements while providing accurate analytical results at accelerating voltages up to 30 kV.
This unmatched performance makes the Octane Elite Ultra the first windowless EDS detector suitable for everyday use, eliminating the need for a secondary detector and meeting even the most demanding application requirements.
Benefits
- Accurate composition analysis across all SEM conditions – Utilizes an advanced electron trap to ensure precision at all accelerating voltages.
- Captures elemental and phase maps with unmatched spatial resolution – Features a windowless sensor that is over 80 % larger, enabling rapid sample analysis at the lowest accelerating voltages.
- Ideal for multi-user environments – Designed for maximum uptime, allowing you to focus on what matters most: your research.
- One detector for all your EDS applications – Provides exceptional accuracy and a wide range of applications, eliminating the need for multiple EDS detectors.
- Unparalleled sensitivity for compositional mapping – Detects even the lowest element concentrations with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) up to 25x higher than conventional EDS detectors.
The Octane Elite Ultra features an EDS sensor that is more than three times larger than conventional large-area thin-window sensors. Its windowless design and advanced processing electronics enhance sensitivity by up to 25 times, enabling faster elemental mapping, real-time phase map collection, and the ability to capture maps with a field of view up to 25 times larger while maintaining the same SNR.
It also features an EDS sensor that is over 80 % larger than any other windowless detector, delivering exceptional performance for the most demanding applications. This allows users to operate the SEM at the lowest accelerating voltage or beam current, making it ideal for analyzing nanoparticles, beam-sensitive materials such as hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites or tissue sections, low-boron steels, and ultra-thin dielectric layers in semiconductor devices. It provides results with spatial resolution approaching that of secondary or backscattered electron imaging for EDS analysis.
Figure 1. Composite images of boron and cobalt elemental maps overlayed on the secondary electron image of a boron steel sample. a) Captured with the Octane Elite Ultra and b) another EDS detector; the superior sensitivity of the Octane Elite Ultra to light elements enables boron distribution to be mapped and determined quantitatively. Image Credit: Gatan, Inc.
A windowless EDS detector can now serve as the sole EDS detector on your SEM. The Octane Elite Ultra overcomes the quantitative analysis limitations of previous windowless detectors, enabling faster element identification and precise quantitative analysis.
An innovative electron trap prevents contamination of the EDS spectrum from backscattered electrons with energies up to 30 keV, ensuring the highest accuracy across a wide operating range. Paired with EDAX APEX™ EDS Advanced software (version 3.0 or later), the Octane Elite Ultra delivers reliable analytical results, making it the only EDS detector you need.
With its proprietary sensor design, intelligent system monitoring, and mechanical shutter, the Octane Elite Ultra continuously evaluates the microscope’s operating conditions to protect the detector. It automatically shifts to a safe state when needed, such as during unfavorable vacuum conditions. Even in the case of a severe SEM failure, the durable sensor preserves its performance, exhibiting minimal to no degradation even after 48 hours of atmospheric exposure while cooled.
The Octane Elite Ultra provides precise quantitative analysis, meets the most challenging analytical demands, and offers long-term reliability, making it an ideal solution for all your analytical needs—even in multi-user environments.
Figure 2. EDS Spectrum and (inset) quantitative evaluation of vanadium oxide (V2O5) using the Octane Elite Ultra detector; the composition measured was within ±1 at. %. The SEM was operated at 25 kV, and the beam current was set to provide 20,000 cps. The spectrum was analyzed by standardless analysis using eZAF and carbon coat correction and a calculated Bremsstrahlung background using APEX EDS Advanced software version 3.0. Image Credit: Gatan, Inc.