In situ Raman spectroscopy of surfaces modified by ion soft landing

The design and characterization of a system for in situ Raman analysis of surfaces prepared by ion soft landing (SL) is described. The performance of the new high vacuum compatible, low cost, surface analysis capability is demonstrated with surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of surfaces prepared by soft landing of ions of crystal violet, Rhodamine 6G, methyl orange and copper phthalocyanine. Complementary in situ mass spectrometric information is recorded for the same surfaces using a previously implemented secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS). Imaging of the modified surfaces is achieved using 2D Raman imaging as demonstrated for the case of Rhodamine 6G soft landing. The combination of the powerful molecular characterization tools of SERS and SIMS in a single instrument fitted with in-vacuum sample transport capabilities, facilitates in situ analysis of surfaces prepared by ion SL. In particular, information is provided on the charge state of the soft landed species. In the case of crystal violet the SERS data suggest that the positively charged ions being landed retain their charge state on the surface under vacuum. By contrast, in the case of methyl orange which is landed as an anion, the SERS spectra suggest that the SL species has been neutralized.