Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS)

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) is technique used for surface material characterization of a solid specimen.   SIMS is recognized as the most sensitive elemental, isotopic and molecular composition analysis the uppermost atomic layers of the specimen.  The following are a few strength and limitations of SIMS:
Strengths:

• The analysis consumes very small sample (essentially non-destructive)
• High sensitivity means that specimens with low concentration levels (down to Parts Per Billion levels) can be analyzed with SIMS.
• High sensitivity also allows for depth profiling of molecular and elemental abundances as well as isotopic ratios.
• SIn situ analysis eliminates the need for complex sample preparation in most cases.

Limitations:
Because both atomic and molecular species are produced during sputtering of the samples, not all elements in all substrates (matrices) can be analyzed quantitatively.
Typical Applications:

• Measuring quantitative depth profiling of dopants and impurities in semiconductor substrates
• Identifying lubricants on magnetic hard discs
• Profiling thickness of insulating films on glass
• Mapping elemental and molecular patterned surfaces
• Identifying compounds in thin organic films
• Determining the extent of crosslinking in polymers