ToF-SIMS

Morgan Alexander, Martyn Davies, David Scurr

Instrument

Location: Laboratory of Biophysics and Surface Analysis (LBSA) at the School of Pharmacy. Manufacturer: Ion-TOF GmbH, Münster, Germany

Head of Division: Professor Morgan Alexander

Ion-TOF SIMS IV:

In September 2001, the Centre took delivery of a Time-of-Flight (ToF) SIMS instrument funded by EPSRC through the Strategic Equipment Initiative. This instrument, the TOF-SIMS IV from ION-TOF GmbH of Münster, Germany, was equipped with a liquid metal (Ga+) ion gun (LMIG) for spectroscopy and imaging at a spatial resolution of better than 100 nm. In addition, depth profiling can be performed using either Cs+ or Ar+ (combined with crater analysis using the LMIG). The reflectron ToF mass analyser has a mass resolution in excess of 10,000.

Recent upgrades to the instrument have been funded by The East Midlands Development Agency (emda) New Dimension in Health Care Analysis Project. These upgrades include a Bi⁺ cluster ion LMIG and a C₆₀⁺ ion source. This equipment is available for industrial access through the funding provided by emda and EPSRC .

The Cs⁺ or C₆₀⁺ ion sources can also be used to perform analysis on materials where they are deemed more suitable than using Bi⁺.

 
Full temperature control of the sample in the analysis position over the range –100 to +600 °C is possible, including temperature programmed SIMS, and samples can be cooled in an inert atmosphere prior to insertion into the instrument. A 5-axis multi-sample stage is fully automated and provides rotation for high resolution depth profiling.