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Updated: May 6, 2026

3D Depth Profile Reconstruction of Segregated Impurities Using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
Published on: April 29, 2020
Charge compensation for imaging large insulating samples by using secondary ion tandem mass spectrometry
R T Short1, J M McMahon, W M Holland
1Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Building 5510, MS-6365, P.0. Box 2008, 37831-6365, Oak Ridge, TN.
Abstract:
A charge compensation technique has been developed for secondary ion mass spectrometry and imaging of insulating samples as large as 1 cm(2) using a triple quadrupole-based microprobe. The microprobe secondary ion extraction field is synchronized with a periodic primary Cs(+) beam to allow a sheetlike beam of 5-eV electrons to pass over the sample surface when the extraction field is zeroed. Electrons are attracted to, and neutralize, any points on the sample that have accumulated positive charge. Positive secondary ion images from Teflon®, a well-known insulator, illustrate the effectiveness of charge compensation. Locating and identifying analytes on dry filter paper by using tandem mass spectrometry are also demonstrated.
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