Mass Spectrometry

Applications of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) in Materials Science

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) is a mature surface analysis technique with a broad range of applications in Materials Science. In this article the SIMS process is described, the fundamental SIMS equations are derived, and the main terminology is explained. The issue of quantification is addressed. The various modes of SIMS analysis including static SIMS, imaging SIMS, depth profiling SIMS and three-dimensional (3D) SIMS are discussed as are specialized analysis strategies such as the imaging of shallow and cross-sections and reverse side analysis.