Legacy XRF Matching

7 min

Requires AMICS 5.2.1 or newer.

AMICS 5.2.1 adds compatibility features for using legacy XRF standard libraries that were collected at 20 keV excitation with the Bruker M4 Tornado micro-XRF platform.

Background

Reference spectra libraries for the M4 Tornado were historically collected at a fixed 20 keV excitation voltage. When AMICS acquires data at different excitation voltages, the spectral response differs from the 20 keV references, which can reduce classification accuracy.

The "Match as 20 keV" feature allows AMICS to compensate for this difference during matching.

Auto-Detect SEM vs M4/XRF

When importing BCF (Bruker Common File) data, AMICS 5.2.1 automatically detects whether the data originates from:

SEM — Standard electron microscope with EDS

M4/XRF — Bruker M4 Tornado micro-XRF system

This detection is based on metadata in the BCF file and determines which default settings are applied during import. Previously, users had to manually select the instrument type.

Match as 20 keV

The Match as 20 keV option enables compatibility with legacy XRF reference libraries:

When to Use

Use "Match as 20 keV" when:

Your reference spectra library was collected at 20 keV excitation on the M4

Your current measurement may have been acquired at a different voltage

You need to use existing legacy references without re-collecting at the new voltage

Enabling Match as 20 keV

During reclassification:

Open the Reclassification dialog (Processing tab → Classification)

In the Other options group, check Match as 20 keV

Click Start to reclassify

During batch processing:

Open the Batch Project Settings dialog

Check Match as 20 keV in the Operations section

All measurements in the batch are reclassified using 20 keV matching

When enabled, AMICS temporarily resamples 40 keV spectra to match the 20 keV calibration format before matching. The stored spectral data remains unchanged — only the matching comparison uses the resampled spectra.

20keV Ref Display Toggle

A 20keV Ref display toggle is available for viewing legacy reference spectra at their original 20 keV energy scale:

Access from the Process ribbon → Tools panel → 20keV Display button

When enabled, reference spectra in the spectrum viewer are displayed as they would appear at 20 keV excitation

When disabled, spectra are displayed at the measurement's actual excitation voltage

This toggle is for display purposes only — it does not affect the matching calculation, only how the reference spectra appear in the spectrum chart.

{{FIG: Spectrum viewer showing reference spectrum with 20keV Ref display toggle active | 20keV Ref display toggle}}

BCF Conversion Changes

The BCF conversion workflow has been updated in 5.2.1:

Change	Description
Auto-detect instrument	SEM vs M4/XRF is detected automatically from BCF metadata
PseudoBSE checkbox removed	Total Energy Intensity image generation is now automatic when appropriate
Stale data fix	Fixed an issue where stale xray point data could cause garbage spectra on second BCF conversion
Channel count fix	Fixed truncated spectrum channel count from BCF API