Analysis of three‐dimensional SIMS images using image cross‐correlation spectroscopy

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) SIMS images of secondary ion distributions in a solid volume can be produced from a stack of individual images acquired sequentially at different depths during depth profiling of the solid. While it is often possible to obtain visual correlations of large-scale features that occur in several images in the stack, the correlation of less-obvious features requires a more mathematical approach. We present here two cases where image cross-correlation spectroscopy (ICCS) can be used to clarify the presence or absence of organized structure in a 3D depth profile. In one example, the images of deuterium distribution in a zirconium oxide thin film were confirmed to exhibit order over a series of images, thereby suggesting the existence of continuous pores in the material. In a second example, the apparent clustering of gold distributions in a 3D profile of an arsenopyrite mineral was shown to be uncorrelated and likely an artefact of data collection. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.