Also see PDF-2 Release 2011

SIeve 2011 - Purchase SIeve 2011

SIeve, ICDD's search indexing software for the PDF-2 database, provides rapid searching and identification of materials using highly automated Hanawalt, Fink and Long 8 searches. The most powerful feature of SIeve is that it is fully integrated with the 51 permutable searches contained in the PDF-2 database. This means a user can define their own search subfile or use any of the 43 "application or expert-defined" subfiles and subclasses. The user can create their own search subfile based on chemistry, physical properties, small unidentified d-spacings, and elemental composition, etc. The ability to target searches and integrate data mining information increases the accuracy of the phase identification process. The use of common and userdefined subfile filters in SIeve has been facilitated by a simple selection box that appears once input data have been prepared for searching. Common subfile filters include Primary Patterns, Mineral Related Patterns, and Common Phases. In addition, the user can create any number of filters based on PDF-2's extensive data mining capabilities. The user even has the ability to change these filters, whether they are elemental, structural, or categorical in nature, after the major phases have been identified to facilitate minor and trace phase searches on the residual pattern. SIeve works with files containing a list of peaks (d-spacing/2-theta and intensity pairs) or files containing full experimental data (2-theta and intensity).

SIeve features automatic rotation of the 3 strongest lines (Hanawalt) or the 8 longest of the strongest lines (Fink) or the 8 longest lines (Long 8) to look for entries that exhibit the best Goodness of Match (GOM). The automatic rotations can be switched on/off in Preferences. The GOM can be weighted or unweighted to better equilibrate scoring of matches with entries having larger and smaller numbers of peaks. The "Pattern GOM" compares all lines in the unknown pattern against all lines in the reference pattern(s). The SIeve display allows a comparison between the standard GOM and the pattern GOM. Extensive digitized data plotting functions allow comparisons between experimental data and SIeve search/match results.

As with any automated search/match program, the user has the final word on the correctness of a potential match. With SIeve, the user may accept one or more of the initial proposed matches based on the GOM score, the line-by-line fit and/or graphical fit to the raw input data, and the user's knowledge of the sample origin. Once accepted, SIeve automatically subtracts the phase(s) from the input data and searches the database again for identification of additional phases in the residual pattern. With well-resolved data, identification of >10 phases in a multicomponent mixture may be reasonably accomplished.

       SIeve is activated in PDF-2 for a free 30-day trial period or until the product is registered.

Retrieval software offering search/match capabilities is available from ICDD's licensed distributors and equipment manufacturers. Check with your software vendor to confirm software compatibility when purchasing or renewing to Release 2011.