Sample Cooling Technique for ToF-SIMS Measurement

- Improvement in Repeatability for Measurement of Organic Material Surface -

Abstract

  Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), which has an advantage that can acquire structural information of chemical species existing on very near surfaces of substances, is one of the most useful tools for surface analysis of organic materials. However, since TOF-SIMS measurements are normally carried out in high vacuum environment, in some cases, we have actually measured unwanted conditions differed from original surface states where one would like to obtain, or can not obtain reproducible results, due to so-called “vacuum damage”. In such cases, sample cooling technique provides an effective mean. In this report, some example about ToF-SIMS measurements on organic material surfaces are presented, reducing a "vacuum damage" and keeping reproducibility by using a sample cooling technique.