Time-resolved chemical studies via time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) enables static chemical investigations in a wide range of materials and other systems. It utilizes focused primary ion beam scanned over the surface of studies sample to release secondary ions, which are further analyzed using time-of flight mass analyzer. This approach allows static studies of the local chemical composition on the surface and bulk of samples with 100-nm spatial resolution and nanometer depth resolution. However, classical ToF-SIMS data lack any information about time evolution of the chemical species and ions. The invention addresses this.

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