Development of High Throughput Microscope Mode Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Imaging

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Surface Science
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is crucial for analyzing sample surfaces.
• Current MSI techniques can be limited by throughput and spatial resolution trade-offs.
• Developing novel instrumentation is key to advancing MSI capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a secondary ion mass spectrometer with stigmatic ion microscope imaging.
• To improve throughput for mass spectrometry imaging by decoupling primary ion beam focus from spatial resolution.
• To demonstrate the instrument's capability for imaging diverse samples.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a commercial C60+ primary ion beam source.
• Employed stigmatic ion microscope imaging to achieve uniform beam intensity over a 2.5 mm² area.
• Coupled the system with a position-sensitive spatial detector for secondary ion detection.

Main Results:

• Achieved mass spectral imaging of positive and negative secondary ions from metal and dye samples.
• Demonstrated simultaneous ion desorption across a large field of view (2.5 mm²).
• Obtained spatial resolution better than 20 μm and mass resolution >500 at 500 u.

Conclusions:

• The developed secondary ion mass spectrometer with microscope mode offers a promising route to higher throughput MSI.
• The instrument enables rapid acquisition of mass spectral images over large areas.
• Future improvements are anticipated through further instrument development and simulations.