Ion Microscope for Nanostructuring and Mass Spectroscopy

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An ion microscope optimized for high-resolution imaging with ions, high-resolution and large-area structuring of samples, and mass spectroscopy is being applied for. This microscope will ideally complement the equipment already available in the Core Facilities of the University of Konstanz and create new potential in the field of nanostructuring and analytics. Various new research projects make it necessary to further increase the resolution of nanostructuring. To this end, a temporally very stable ion source with an image resolution of less than 2 nm is necessary. At the same time, we need high mechanical stability and precise positioning of the sample in order to be able to pattern larger areas with high resolution. The analytical capabilities should provide elementary information of the samples by a secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS), which is not accessible to us so far. The combination of a focused ion beam (FIB) with a SIMS allows elemental analysis with highest lateral and depth resolution. In addition, there are all the advantages of a SIMS such as a low detection limit in the ppm range, the ability to detect light elements and a very surface sensitive measurement. Imaging with a SIMS of highest resolution offers numerous new possibilities such as labeling by isotopes. An ion source with different elements brings advantages for both nano-structuring and mass spectroscopy. It provides ions of a light element for high-resolution patterning with low material removal, but can also emit heavy ions when larger areas need to be processed. In the case of mass spectroscopy, it is advantageous to have ions available that increase the ionization efficiency of positive or negative secondary ions. In addition, a cluster source provides reduced fragmentation during ablation of the material and molecular information.