Ambient analysis of liquid materials with Wet-SIMS

Abstract

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is a method with high surface sensitivity that allows both elemental and molecular analysis. However, volatile liquid (wet) samples are difficult to measure using conventional SIMS, because samples must be dried and introduced into a high vacuum chamber. The mean free path of ions with energy in the keV range is very short in low vacuum and these ions cannot penetrate the surface. In contrast, ions in the MeV-energy range have high transmission capability in low vacuum and wet samples can be measured using heavy ions without dry sample preparation. Ion beams in the MeV-energy range also excite electrons near the surface and enhance the ionization of high-mass molecules and thus fragment-suppressed SIMS spectra of ionized molecules can be obtained. We have developed an ambient analysis system with secondary ion mass spectrometry for wet samples (Wet-SIMS) that operates from low vacuum to 30kPa using MeV-energy heavy ion beams. The system is equipped with fine apertures that avoid vacuum degradation at both the primary beam incidence and the secondary ion measurement sides, even when the target chamber is filled with He gas at 30kPa. Water evaporation was suppressed in a He atmosphere of 16.5kPa and a solution of benzoic acid could be measured using MeV-energy heavy ions.