What is secondary ion mass spectrometry used for?

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is a technique used to analyze compositions of thin films and surfaces by using a focused primary ion beam to sputter the surface of a sample and analyze the ejected secondary ions.

Which source is used in secondary ion mass spectrometry?

This type of ion gun is easy to operate and generates roughly focused but high current ion beams. A second source type, the surface ionization source, generates 133Cs+ primary ions. Cesium atoms vaporize through a porous tungsten plug and are ionized during evaporation.

How does SIMS instrument work?

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS) Instrumentation – How Does It Work? the electrostatic filter reduces the energy range of the secondary ions so that they can then be separated into independent ion beams (based on the charge/mass ratio) by passing them through a magnetic field (magnetic sector).

What can SIMS detect?

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) detects very low concentrations of dopants and impurities. The technique provides elemental depth profiles over a wide depth range from a few angstroms (Å) to tens of micrometers (µm).

What is TOF SIMS analysis?

Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is a surface-sensitive analytical method that uses a pulsed ion beam (Cs or microfocused Ga) to remove molecules from the very outermost surface of the sample. The particles are removed from atomic monolayers on the surface (secondary ions).

Can SIMS detect oxides?

Oxygen isotope exchange with subsequent time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is a highly valuable tool for determining oxygen diffusion coefficients in oxides.

What is Sim in mass spectrometry?

Selected ion monitoring (SIM) is a technique widely used for trace analysis. In this technique, rather than the mass spectrometer being set to scan over a pre-defined mass range and record full mass spectra it is set to monitor the intensity of specific m/z values.

What is the difference between static and dynamic SIMS?

Static SIMS focuses solely on the first top monolayer, mostly for molecular characterization. Dynamic SIMS mode investigates bulk composition and in-depth distribution of trace elements, with a depth resolution from sub-nm to tens of nm. All CAMECA SIMS instruments are capable of dynamic SIMS.

Can SIMS detect hydrogen?

SIMS can readily detect hydrogen and the isotopes deuterium and tritium.

How do you read TOF on Sims?

TOF-SIMS spectra are typically displayed as a plot of signal intensity or ion counts on the Y-axis versus m/z on the X-axis. The height of a signal is proportional to the amount of that ion present in the spectrum and the m/z of the ion is basically the mass of that ion (if it is singly charged).

Is TOF-SIMS quantitative analysis?

We demonstrate the effects of protein orientation and trehalose on a quantitative analysis of surface-immobilized proteins by using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS).