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Cluster secondary ion mass spectrometry of polymers and related materials
Author(s) -
Mahoney Christine M.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
mass spectrometry reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.035
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1098-2787
pISSN - 0277-7037
DOI - 10.1002/mas.20233
Subject(s) - polyatomic ion , chemistry , cluster (spacecraft) , characterization (materials science) , sputtering , secondary ion mass spectrometry , polymer , static secondary ion mass spectrometry , ion , mass spectrometry , analytical chemistry (journal) , mass spectrum , chemical physics , nanotechnology , thin film , environmental chemistry , organic chemistry , materials science , chromatography , computer science , programming language
Cluster secondary ion mass spectrometry (cluster SIMS) has played a critical role in the characterization of polymeric materials over the last decade, allowing for the ability to obtain spatially resolved surface and in‐depth molecular information from many polymer systems. With the advent of new molecular sources such as ${\rm C}_{60}^ +$ , ${\rm Au}_3^ +$ , ${\rm SF}_5^ +$ , and ${\rm Bi}_3^ +$ , there are considerable increases in secondary ion signal as compared to more conventional atomic beams (Ar + , Cs + , or Ga + ). In addition, compositional depth profiling in organic and polymeric systems is now feasible, without the rapid signal decay that is typically observed under atomic bombardment. The premise behind the success of cluster SIMS is that compared to atomic beams, polyatomic beams tend to cause surface‐localized damage with rapid sputter removal rates, resulting in a system at equilibrium, where the damage created is rapidly removed before it can accumulate. Though this may be partly true, there are actually much more complex chemistries occurring under polyatomic bombardment of organic and polymeric materials, which need to be considered and discussed to better understand and define the important parameters for successful depth profiling. The following presents a review of the current literature on polymer analysis using cluster beams. This review will focus on the surface and in‐depth characterization of polymer samples with cluster sources, but will also discuss the characterization of other relevant organic materials, and basic polymer radiation chemistry. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., Mass Spec Rev 29:247–293, 2010