Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS)

by Martin Clausen (mc AT rotgradpsi DOT de)

Several methods are available to characterize a surface chemically. If one wants a complete chemical depth profile, layer by layer can be sputtered away, while each sputtering process is followed by an AES measurement. When a mass-spectrometer is available one can also use material sputtered away to obtain information about the surface chemistry. This method (SIMS) allows to identify elements and how they are chemically bonded. A resolution in the order of a monolayer and a sensitivity of one ppm can be achieved.

sims.pdf without pictures for copyright reasons

Disclaimer: No warranty at all!
Copyright by Martin Clausen, Germany.
Contact the author: mc AT rotgradpsi DOT de
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