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Updated: Jul 9, 2025

3D Depth Profile Reconstruction of Segregated Impurities Using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
Published on: April 29, 2020
Surface Analysis by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS): Principles and Applications from Swiss laboratories
Johanna Marin Carbonne1, Andras Kiss2,3, Anne-Sophie Bouvier4
1Earth Sciences Institute, University of Lausanne, Geopolis Mouline, CH 1015 Lausanne. johanna.marincarbonne@unil.ch.
Abstract:
Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) extracts chemical, elemental, or isotopic information about a localized area of a solid target by performing mass spectrometry on secondary ions sputtered from its surface by the impact of a beam of charged particles. This primary beam sputters ionized atoms and small molecules (as well as many neutral particles) from the upper few nanometers of the sample surface. The physical basis of SIMS has been applied to a large range of applications utilizing instruments optimized with different types of mass analyzer, either dynamic SIMS with a double focusing mass spectrometer or static SIMS with a Time of Flight (TOF) analyzer. Here, we present a short review of the principles and major applications of three different SIMS instruments located in Switzerland.
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