Lecture

Principle of SIMS

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In course

MSE-351: Surface analysis

The course treats the main surface analysis methods for the characterization of surfaces, interfaces and thin films. It discusses how these methods can be applied to gain specific knowledge about structural, chemical and functional properties of surfaces a ...

Description

This lecture covers the principle of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), explaining how a surface is sputtered with a primary ion beam to analyze secondary ions with a mass spectrometer. Topics include mass spectrum, depth profile, mass interference, modes of operation, sputtering yield, ionization yield, and examples of SIMS applications.

Instructors (3)

Stefano Mischler

Stefano Mischler obtained the diploma in materials science in 1983 at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETHZ in Zurich. He accomplished his PhD thesis in the field of surface analysis and corrosion at the Materials department of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology EPFL in Lausanne in 1988. In the years 1989-1990 he held a postdoctoral position at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Establishment in Harwell (Oxfordshire) where he developed novel quantification procedures for Auger Electron Spectroscopy and high lateral resolution surface analytical methods for fiber reinforced ceramics. In 1991 he joined the newly created Tribology group at the Laboratory for Metallurgical Chemistry of the EPFL where he developed research activities in the field of wear-corrosion interactions (tribocorrosion) and of tribological coatings. He is currently head of the tribology group and is developing a reserach and training activity devoted to modern aspects of tribology and surface science and technology, including surface chemical effects in tribology, biotribology and biocorrosion, tribology in microfabrication processes and wear protection methods. In 2006 he spent a sabbatical leave of 3 months at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Institute of Biomaterials.

Igor Stolichnov

Igor Stolichnov received his Master degree in solid state physics at Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University in 1994. In 1996 he joined EPFL, where he was awarded PhD in 2000 for his work on ferroelectric non-volatile memories. Currently he is a senior scientist, member of staff of Nanoelectronic devices laboratory, EPFL. His scientific interests are focused on functional materials and their applications for information processing in energy-efficient circuitry, including ferroelectrics, dielectrics,

Anna Neus Igual Muñoz

Expertise Tribology, corrosion, tribocorrosion, surface analysis, electrochemistry Anna Igual Munoz is senior scientist at EPFL since 2022. She has a master degree in Industrial engineering (specialised in chemical engineering) and a PhD in Electrochemical corrosion (2001) from UPV. She did a Postdoctoral research at the University of Virginia (USA) in 2002 in the field of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and local electrochemical techniques. She was Professor at the Technical University of Valencia (

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Chemistry

Analytical chemistry: Mass spectrometry

Related concepts (32)

Mass spectrometry

Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. The results are presented as a mass spectrum, a plot of intensity as a function of the mass-to-charge ratio. Mass spectrometry is used in many different fields and is applied to pure samples as well as complex mixtures. A mass spectrum is a type of plot of the ion signal as a function of the mass-to-charge ratio.

Secondary ion mass spectrometry

Secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is a technique used to analyze the composition of solid surfaces and thin films by sputtering the surface of the specimen with a focused primary ion beam and collecting and analyzing ejected secondary ions. The mass/charge ratios of these secondary ions are measured with a mass spectrometer to determine the elemental, isotopic, or molecular composition of the surface to a depth of 1 to 2 nm.

Quadrupole mass analyzer

In mass spectrometry, the quadrupole mass analyzer (or quadrupole mass filter) is a type of mass analyzer originally conceived by Nobel laureate Wolfgang Paul and his student Helmut Steinwedel. As the name implies, it consists of four cylindrical rods, set parallel to each other. In a quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) the quadrupole is the mass analyzer - the component of the instrument responsible for selecting sample ions based on their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z).

Ion source

An ion source is a device that creates atomic and molecular ions. Ion sources are used to form ions for mass spectrometers, optical emission spectrometers, particle accelerators, ion implanters and ion engines. Electron ionization Electron ionization is widely used in mass spectrometry, particularly for organic molecules. The gas phase reaction producing electron ionization is M{} + e^- -> M^{+\bullet}{} + 2e^- where M is the atom or molecule being ionized, e^- is the electron, and M^{+\bullet} is the resulting ion.

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) is a method of mass spectrometry in which an ion's mass-to-charge ratio is determined by a time of flight measurement. Ions are accelerated by an electric field of known strength. This acceleration results in an ion having the same kinetic energy as any other ion that has the same charge. The velocity of the ion depends on the mass-to-charge ratio (heavier ions of the same charge reach lower speeds, although ions with higher charge will also increase in velocity).

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