TOF‐SIMS matrix effects in mixed organic layers in Ar cluster ion depth profiles

Matrix effects are crucial for analyses using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) in terms of quantitative analysis, depth profiling and imaging. It is often difficult to predict how co‐existing materials will influence each other before such analysis. However, matrix effects need to be curtailed in order to assume the appropriate amount of a target material in a sample. First, matrix effects on different types of organic mixed samples, including a sample composed of Irganox 1010 and Irganox 1098 (MMK sample) and another composed of Irganox 1010 and Fmoc‐pentafluoro‐L‐phenylalanine (MMF sample), were observed utilizing ToF‐SIMS and the dependence of the secondary ion polarity of the matrix effects on the same sample was evaluated. Next, the correction method for the ToF‐SIMS matrix effects proposed by Shard et al. was applied to a comparison of the positive secondary ion results to the negative ones. The matrix effects on the positive ion data in both samples were different from those on the negative ion data. The matrix effect correction method worked effectively on both the negative and positive depth profiles. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.