A Novel Ion Microscope with a Compact Magnetic Sector SIMS for Nano-Analytics

Advanced material characterization techniques with high lateral resolution and sensitivity are essential for studying nanoscopic materials and their transformations in three dimensions at relevant spatial scales. Focused Ion Beam (FIB) technologies, coupled with Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), offer powerful capabilities in visualizing nanoscale 3D structures and analytical surface measurements.<br/>SIMS, utilizing energetic primary ions to sputter the surface and generate secondary ions for chemical analysis, boasts high sensitivity and dynamic range. Various analysis modes like mass spectrum recording, depth profiling, and 2D/3D imaging provide comprehensive information for diverse fields including materials science, semiconductors geology, and biology.<br/>A newly developed nano-analytics system integrates a Liquid Metal Alloy Ion Source (LMAIS) with a special designed compact magnetic sector SIMS unit, enabling correlative high-resolution 2D/3D imaging and nano-analysis.<br/>The SIMS unit is equipped with an insertable/retractable extraction optics to transfer the generated secondary ions through a mass analyzer onto a focal plane detector. The latter allows parallel acquisition of full mass spectra for each scanned pixel within the chosen field of view which gives the user a multitude of possibilities to post-process and correlate the SIMS image data. Further key strengths of this novel FIB-SIMS platform are the possibility to use application specific primary ion beams from Liquid Metal Alloy Ion Sources (LMAIS). The LMAIS emits multiple ion species simultaneously, offering flexibility in choosing primary ions depending on the application. This setup offers various primary ion species from a single source and automated workflows by taking advantage of switching quickly between reactive primary ion species to maximize either positive (e.g., Au+ or Bi+ single primary ions and clusters) or negative ionization (e.g., Li+ primary ions) of the sputtered particles. The small beam diameter of the lightest primary ions (Li+ and Si2+) allows to perform high spatial resolution imaging in SIMS (&lt; 20 nm). The low penetration depth of heavy Bi+ and Au+ (and clusters) primary ions into the material enables excellent depth resolution.<br/>In this contribution we outline the working principles and features of the focal plane magnetic SIMS detector combined with a LMAIS, demonstrating its capabilities through applications such as CIGS solar cells, semiconductor samples and geological samples. By combining LMAIS technology with a stable laser interferometric sample stage and sensitive SIMS unit, this system offers a pathway for advanced nano-analytics, surpassing conventional methodologies for sample analysis.