Abstract
Argon gas cluster ion beams (Ar-GCIBs) are remarkable new projectiles for secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling of organic materials. However, the optimal cluster size and kinetic energy to provide the best quality of depth profiles, in terms of high ionization efficiency of the target molecules, little chemical damage, and short experiment time, for organic materials is not fully understood. Hence, the effect of cluster size and kinetic energy on the quality of molecular depth profiling is investigated on a simple platform composed of trehalose thin films to acquire more fundamental information about the ion/solid interaction. The results suggest that the sputter yield (Y/n) of argon clusters is linearly dependent upon kinetic energy per atom (E/n). When E/n > 5 eV/atom, normal depth profiles are obtained with relatively high sputter yields. When E/n ≤ 5 eV/atom, however, distorted depth profiles in the steady state region are observed, which exhibit a low sputter yield and variable ioni...
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call