SIMS Webinar

Dynamic Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) is a unique technique often used to investigate the elemental structure of solid materials with depth. It has the sensitivity to detect parts per billion concentrations as well as to quantify atomic percent level matrix compositions. It can measure all elements in the periodic table, including H. Layers of few nanometers to micrometers thickness can be characterized using proper SIMS analytical protocols. This ability to resolve concentration and thickness (or depth) ranges has made SIMS the routine technique for in-depth chemical characterization for semiconductor materials since its first used >65 years ago. In a single analysis SIMS can determine most of the dopant and impurity concentrations and thicknesses of the individual layers grown. Although dynamic SIMS is most often used for semiconductors materials, it can be applied to any solid material from plastics to ceramics.

SIMS is a non-trivial, empirical technique, which necessitates reference materials of similar composition to the unknowns, and often characterized by other techniques for accuracy. However, achieving <2% precision/repeatability is routine for most analyses. With sophisticated analytical protocols, SIMS can be a great analytical method to support research and development, quality control, failure analysis, and process monitoring.