ToF-XXXX and XXXX tomography Sample Clauses

ToF-XXXX and XXXX tomography. In situ characterization via Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (ToF-XXXX) will provide valuable information about the interface behavior under operating conditions. Description of the experimental approach Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (XXXX) allows the characterization of elemental and molecular composition of the surface of a material with a satisfactory lateral resolution (some µm down to 50 nm when the best conditions are combined). This technique combines sensitivity (down to some ppm in the best cases) to good lateral resolution, while being sensitive to the first nm of the analyzed material. Nevertheless, though primarily being a surface sensitivity technique, ToF-XXXX is thoroughly used to probe the bulk of materials. This can be achieved by alternating sputtering of the surface by using a secondary ion gun (typically Cs+ or Ar+) with its analysis with the primary ion source (e.g. Bi+). This setup is described on Figure 1Figure 1. Figure 1 – 3d reconstruction based on profiling analysis by using ToF-XXXX (courtesy of Xxx Xxx0) This approach allows providing 3D reconstructions of the analysis, as shown on Figure 2 for a biological sample [2]. Figure 2 - Reconstructed ion image revealing quasi spherical Au-NPs with increasing Au ions to 1 mM Au ions However, such approach can sometimes lead to artifacts related to the selective pulverization of elements generated by the sputtering process. It is well-known that elements have different sputtering yields related to the element itself, the incident ion beam energy, the matrix effect etc. Thus, another approach has been developed in the last years to overcome these issues. It is based on the implementation of a focused ion beam (FIB) column on the analysis chamber of the ToF-XXXX instrument. Such implementation allows generating cross section in the material to be achieved in situ, avoiding chemical evolution or contamination of the sample during transfer between dedicated FIB instrument and ToF-XXXX spectrometer. The respective geometry of the FIB column and the primary ion beam source (the liquid metal ion source or LMIG) must be installed in a way that the FIB cut can be alternated with the analysis of the cross section. This is a similar setup as developed in FIB-SEM approach. Such setup is described on Figure 3.