How are XRF results corrected to account for substrate bias?

How are XRF results corrected to account for substrate bias?

• A. Adding a correction value.
• B. Ignoring substrate bias.
• C. Subtracting a correction value.
• D. Replacing the reading with a standard value.

Answer: (C)

Substrate bias in XRF readings comes from the substrate influencing the detected X-ray intensity through its own composition and interaction with the X-rays. To obtain the true signal from the material of interest, you subtract a correction value that represents this bias from the raw reading. This removes the substrate’s contribution and leaves the signal related to the analyte. Adding a correction value would add bias, ignoring it leaves the error uncorrected, and replacing the reading with a standard value discards actual measurement data. So subtracting the correction value is the appropriate method to account for substrate bias.

Substrate bias in XRF readings comes from the substrate influencing the detected X-ray intensity through its own composition and interaction with the X-rays. To obtain the true signal from the material of interest, you subtract a correction value that represents this bias from the raw reading. This removes the substrate’s contribution and leaves the signal related to the analyte. Adding a correction value would add bias, ignoring it leaves the error uncorrected, and replacing the reading with a standard value discards actual measurement data. So subtracting the correction value is the appropriate method to account for substrate bias.