EPMA and Quantitative MCs+-SIMS of Metal-DLC Coating Materials

 Compositional characterization of metal-DLC (metal-containing diamond-like carbon) hard coatings is carried out by (WDS)-EPMA and MCs⁺-SIMS. EPMA enables accurate (± 5% relative) quantitative analysis including minor concentrations (0.1–10 at%) of N, O and Ar. Under conditions of “near-surface” EPMA (E₀ < 10 keV) the influence of surface oxide films on “pure” metal standards may be a limiting factor in respect of accuracy. Depth profiling of sufficiently “thick” layered structures (film thickness ≥ 2 μm) is carried out by EPMA-line scans along mechanically prepared bevels. The depth resolution is about 0.2 μm. SIMS in the MCs⁺-mode enables high resolution (< 20 nm) depth profiling of metal-DLC layered structures including the determination of H (1–20 at%). MCs⁺-SIMS, i.e. employing Cs⁺ primary ions and monitoring MCs⁺ molecular secondary ions (M is the element of interest) is presented as a promising route towards sufficiently accurate (10–20%) SIMS-quantification. Matrix-independent relative sensitivity factors for MCs⁺-SIMS are derived from homogeneous coating materials defined by EPMA. EPMA proves to be also useful to detect problems related to SIMS of Ar in metal-DLC materials. The combination EPMA-SIMS is demonstrated as an effective analytical strategy for quality control in industrial production and to support the development of metal DLC layered structures with optimum tribological properties.     

Reduction of matrix effects in TOF‐SIMS analysis by metal‐assisted SIMS (MetA‐SIMS)

We investigated reduction of the matrix effect in time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) analysis by the deposition of a small amount of metal on the sample surfaces (metal‐assisted SIMS or MetA‐SIMS). The metal used was silver, and the substrates used were silicon wafers as electroconductive substrates and polypropylene (PP) plates as nonelectroconductive substrates. Irganox 1010 and silicone oil on these substrates were analyzed by TOF‐SIMS before and after silver deposition. Before silver deposition, the secondary ion yields from the substances on the silicon wafer and PP plate were quite different due to the matrix effect from each substrate. After silver deposition, however, both ion yields were enhanced, particularly the sample on the PP plate, and little difference was seen between the two substrates. It was therefore found that the deposition of a small amount of metal on the sample surface is useful for reduction of the matrix effect. By reducing the matrix effect using this technique, it is possible to evaluate from the ion intensities the order of magnitude of the quantities of organic materials on different substrates. In addition, this reduction technique has clear utility for the imaging of organic materials on nonuniform substrates such as metals and polymers. MetA‐SIMS is thus a useful analysis tool for solving problems with real‐world samples. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

TOF‐SIMS characterization of an aluminovanadate oxide catalyst

Time‐of‐flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) has been employed to characterize the surface physical and chemical state of aluminovanadate oxide catalyst precursors (‘V? Al? O’) precipitated at different pH values in the range of 5.5…10. The reference oxide V₂O₅ has also been studied for comparison purposes. It is shown that the analysis of molecular ion emission yields valuable information on the surface elemental and phase composition. Increasing pH values while precipitating from aqueous precursor solutions are found to result in a monotonic variation of the surface composition, in a progressive hydroxylation of aluminium and vanadium and in an increasing dispersion of vanadium oxide species. SIMS data evaluated on the basis of Plog's valence model of molecular ion emission reveal reduced V⁴⁺ states, the fraction of which is dependent on the pH value. The SIMS results are supported by XPS data. The enhancement of the catalytic activity in oxidative propane dehydrogenation over V? Al? O prepared at high precipitation pH is in good correlation with the measured surface characteristics. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The detection of oxygen in magneto-optical layers with SIMS

The detection of oxygen in magneto-optical layers is of fundamental importance for the characterization of the stability of RE-TM material. The magnetic properties are directly influenced by oxide formation. Oxygen depth profiles are carried out by using the SIMS technique. A comparison with magnetic measurements showed a clear conformity. We were able to study the oxidation behaviour of various layers at room temperature and at higher values up to 250° C for several hours. It could be shown that aluminum is a successful material for the protection of RE-films against oxidation. The difficulties of translating SIMS counting rates into concentration values were overcome by using EPMA. Specially prepared reference samples were measured by this technique and could then be used as standard samples for SIMS.     

Depth profiling of Irganox‐3114 nanoscale delta layers in a matrix of Irganox‐1010 using conventional Cs+ and O2+ ion beams

Depth profiling of an organic reference sample consisting of Irganox 3114 layers of 3 nm thickness at depths of 51.5, 104.5, 207.6 and 310.7 nm inside a 412 nm thick Irganox 1010 matrix evaporated on a Si substrate has been studied using the conventional Cs⁺ and O₂⁺ as sputter ion beams and Bi⁺ as the primary ion for analysis in a dual beam time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometer. The work is an extension of the Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards project on depth profiling of organic multilayer materials. Cs⁺ ions were used at energies of 500 eV, 1.0 keV and 2.0 keV and the O₂⁺ ions were used at energies of 500 eV and 1.0 keV. All four Irganox 3114 layers were identified clearly in the depth profile using low mass secondary ions. The depth profile data were fitted to the empirical expression of Dowsett function and these fits are reported along with the full width at half maxima to represent the useful resolution for all the four delta layers detected. The data show that, of the conditions used in these experiments, an energy of 500 eV for both Cs⁺ beam and O₂⁺ beam provides the most useful depth profiles. The sputter yield volume per ion calculated from the slope of depth versus ion dose matches well with earlier reported data. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation of ionic liquids under Bi‐ion and Bi‐cluster ions bombardment by ToF‐SIMS

A systematic study of five different imidazolium‐based room temperature ionic liquids, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium acetate, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium nitrate, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium iodide, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide were carried out by means of time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) in positive and negative ion mode. The compounds were measured under Bi‐ion and Bi‐cluster ions (Bi_2–7⁺, Bi_{3, 5}²⁺) bombardment, and spectral information and general rules for the fragmentation pattern are presented. Evidence for hydrogen bonding, due to high molecular secondary cluster ions, could be found. Hydrogen bonding strength could be estimated by ToF‐SIMS via correlation of the anionic yield enhancement with solvent parameters. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental shift allowance in the deconvolution of SIMS depth profiles

We study the deconvolution of the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiles of silicon and gallium arsenide structures with doped thin layers. Special attention is paid to allowance for the instrumental shift of experimental SIMS depth profiles. This effect is taken into account by using Hofmann's mixing‐roughness‐information depth model to determine the depth resolution function. The ill‐posed inverse problem is solved in the Fourier space using the Tikhonov regularization method. The proposed deconvolution algorithm has been tested on various simulated and real structures. It is shown that the algorithm can improve the SIMS depth profiling relevancy and depth resolution. The implemented shift allowance method avoids significant systematic errors of determination of the near‐surface delta‐doped layer position. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A novel method for the simple and simultaneous preconcentration of Pb2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions with aid of diethylenetriamine functionalized SBA-15 nanoporous silica compound

A rapid method for the extraction and monitoring of nanogram level of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions using uniform silanized mesopor (SBA-15) functionalized with diethylenetriamine groups and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) is presented. The preconcentration factor of the method is 100 and detection limit of the technique is 5.5?ng?mL^?1 and 1.4?ng?mL^?1 and 0.1?ng?mL^?1 for Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ respectively. The time and the optimum amount of the sorbent, pH and minimum amount of acid for stripping of ions from functionalized SBA-15 were tested. The maximum capacity the functionalized SBA-15 was found to be 183.0 (±1.9) µg, 156.0 (±1.5) µg and 80.0 (±1.6) µg of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺/mg functionalized SBA-15, respectively.     

Characterization of the distribution of the sintering activator boron in powder metallurgical steels with SIMS

Powder metallurgy is a well-established method for manufacturing ferrous precision parts. A very important step is sintering, which can be strongly enhanced by the formation of a liquid phase during the sintering process. Boron activates this process by forming such a liquid phase at about 1200 °C. In this work, the sintering of Fe–B was performed under the protective atmospheres of hydrogen, argon or nitrogen. Using different grain sizes of the added ferroboron leads to different formations of pores and to the formation of secondary pores. The effect of boron was investigated by means of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) supported by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Light Microscopy (LM). To verify the influence of the process parameters on the mechanical properties, the microstructure (pore shape) was examined and impact energy measurements were performed.The concentrations of B in different samples were varied from 0.03–0.6 weight percent (wt%). Higher boron concentrations are detectable by EPMA, whereas the distributions of boron in the samples with interesting overall concentration in the low wt% range are only detectable by means of SIMS.This work shows that the distribution of boron strongly depends on its concentration and the sintering atmosphere used. At low concentration (up to 0.1 wt%) there are boride precipitations; at higher concentration there is a eutectic iron–boron grain boundary network. There is a decrease of the impact energy observed that correlates with the amount of eutectic phase.     

Topography and field effects in the inner side of microvia hole using ToF‐SIMS

We have developed a simple and powerful method, which is called ‘angled sample holder method’, to characterize a topographic structured sample such as microsized via hole of ball grid array using time‐of‐flight SIMS. The diameter of via holes was 100 µm and the depth was 70 µm. To remove the shaded area by incidence primary ion beam and to extract secondary ions from the bottom of a via hole, several types of angled sample holders with compensation steering plate were applied on the basis of simulation results using SIMION code. And the analyses using angled sample holder method enabled us to characterize the bottom and side wall of a via hole in clear. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quantitative SIMS depth profiling of Al in AlGaN/AlN/GaN HEMT structures with nanometer‐thin layers

The possibilities of quantitative secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling of Al in AlxGa1 ? xN/AlN/GaN transistor heterostructures are shown. Using a series of test structures for a TOF.SIMS‐5 time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer, we obtained a refined linear calibration dependence of the secondary‐ion yield on the composition ×, namely, Y(CsAl+)/Y(CsGa+) = K × x/(1 ? x), with a high linear correlation coefficient, Rl = 0.9996, which permits quantitative SIMS analysis of relatively thick AlGaN barrier layers. The method of profile reconstruction with allowance for the main artifacts of ion sputtering has been first applied for the analysis of GaN/AlGaN/AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistor structure. This method permits to perform quantitative analysis of the thickness and composition of a nanometer‐thin AlN sublayer and to estimate the measurement error. For the structure being studied, the AlN sublayer is 1.2 ± 0.2 nm thick. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Role of electronic partition function in quantitative SIMS using the Saha-Eggert equation

Methods of obtaining the electronic partition functionsZ were discussed with an intention to use them for the Saha-Eggert quantification in SIMS. The Lagrange's interpolation formula and the least-squares method were applied to the published values ofZ to obtain the expression for calculatingZ at arbitrary temperatures. With the aid of the Saha-Eggert equation, the secondary-ion currents from Ni-Cr and Fe-Ni-Cr alloys were converted into the elemental concentrations for the two types ofZ: those obtained with the above methods and those with the approximate fifthorder polynomials presented by de Galan and others. It was proved, from the comparison of the calculated concentrations, that the latter are valid for the quantification in SIMS using the Saha-Eggert equation. The largest error in the elemental concentrations was 22% for the Ni-Cr alloy and 7% for the Fe-Ni-Cr alloy.     

Characterization of the Element Distribution Within TiN Coatings with SIMS

 The distribution of the relevant elements within TiN coatings, made with two different physical deposition methods as the conventional dc vacuum arc method and the filtered high current pulsed arc method (Φ-HCA) are characterized and finally compared. Despite the rougher surface of the dc-arc produced TiN layer, which is due to accumulated droplets, there is no evidence of different stoechiometric composition of Ti and N on the surface. The interface of the dc-arc produced TiN layer (600 nm) is 10 times wider than the one made with the new filtered high current pulsed arc method (60 nm). However the TiN layer made by Φ-HCA shows an inhomogeneous distribution of aluminum and chlorine in the vertical direction, whereas the dc-arc sample is homogeneous. Furthermore, the TiN layer made by Φ-HCA shows vertically an obvious local maximum of chlorine at a depth of about 130 nm. This vertical local maximum has an homogeneous distribution in horizontal direction, which means that a thin, chlorine enriched layer has been incorporated inside the TiN layer. Nevertheless, quantification by SIMS shows that aluminum as well as chlorine concentrations of both samples are too low to influence any TiN properties. Received January 3, 2000. Revision April 4, 2000.     

Nanodomain analysis with cluster‐SIMS: application to the characterization of macromolecular brush architecture

We present the application of cluster‐SIMS for the analysis of the nanoscopic surface of diblock brush terpolymers (DBTs). This novel SIMS technique differs from conventional SIMS. It uses Au₄₀₀⁴⁺ projectiles at 520 keV and an event‐by‐event bombardment/detection regime for the analysis of co‐localized molecular species. The performance of this SIMS method was tested on ‘bottle brush’ block molecules featuring a vertical aligned backbone structure. We were able to assess the extent of secondary ion emissions from the surface and analyze the degree of ordered alignment for DBTs by the fluorocarbon surface coverage. We demonstrate the feasibility of characterizing the homogeneity of macromolecular films at the nanoscale. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

D-氨基葡萄糖与Sm^3＋和Eu^3＋离子配合物的合成和表征

D-氨基葡萄糖(2氨-基-2脱-氧-D葡-萄糖,简称GLCN)是甲壳素或壳聚糖的最终水解产物。由于其分子内含有多个反应中心(-OH,-NH2),且无毒、水溶性好,易与多种金属离子配位,而用于贵金属回收、工业废水处理等生态和环境保护方面;由于其与金属离子形成的配合物水溶性好、低毒、甚至无     

Investigation of gettering effects in CZ-type silicon with SIMS

Ion implantation is a well-known standard procedure in electronic device technology for precise and controlled introduction of dopants into silicon. However, damage caused by implantation acts as effective gettering zones, collecting unwanted metal impurities. This effect can be applied for proximity gettering reducing the concentration of impurities in the active device region. In this study the consequences of high-energy ion implantation into silicon and of subsequent annealing were analysed by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Depth profiles were recorded of such impurities as copper, oxygen and carbon to obtain information about their gettering behaviour. The differences in impurities gettering behaviour were studied as a function of the implanted ions, P and Si, of the implantation dose and annealing time at T=900°C. Besides impurities gettering at the mean projected range (Rp) of implanted ions, Rp-effect, defects at around half of the projected ion range, Rp/2-effect, and even in some cases beyond Rp, trans-Rp-effect, have also been found to be effective in gettering of material impurities.     

Simultaneous removal of Cu2+ and Cr3+ ions from aqueous solution based on Complexation with Eriochrome cyanine‐R and derivative spectrophotometric method

TiO₂ nanoparticles deposited on activated carbon (TiO₂–NP–AC) was prepared and characterized by XRD and SEM analysis. Subsequently, simultaneous ultrasound‐assisted adsorption of Cu²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions onto TiO₂‐NPs‐AC after complexation via eriochrome cyanine R (ECR) has been investigated with UV–Vis and FAA spectrophotometer. Spectra overlapping of the ECR‐Cu and ECR‐Cr complex was resolve by derivative spectrophotometric technique. The effects of various parameters such as initial Cu²⁺ (A) and Cr³⁺ (B) ions concentrations, TiO₂‐NPs‐AC mass (C), sonication time (D) and pH (E) on the removal percentage were investigated and optimized by central composite design (CCD). The optimize conditions were set as: 4.21 min, 0.019 mg, 20.02 and 13.22 mg L^?1 and 6.63 for sonication time, TiO₂–NP–AC mass, initial Cr³⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions concentration and pH, respectively. The experimental equilibrium data fitting to Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin–Radushkevich models show that the Langmuir model is a good and suitable model for evaluation and the actual behavior of adsorption process and maximum adsorption capacity of 105.26 and 93.46 mg g^?1 were obtained for Cu²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions, respectively. Kinetic evaluation of experimental data showed that the adsorption processes followed well pseudo second order and intraparticle diffusion models.     

Kinetics of silver electrodeposition from thiocarbamide solutions at a regular surface coverage with sulfide ions

Kinetics of silver electrodeposition in the presence of sulfide ions is studied on electrodes renewed by cutting off a thin surface layer, at a controlled time of contact of the “fresh” surface with the electrolyte. Solutions containing 10^?2 M AgNO₃, 0.1 M thiocarbamide, 0.5 M HClO₄, and from 2 × 10^?6 to 1.5 × 10^?5 M Na₂S are studied. It is shown that under the studied conditions, the effect of silver electrodeposition on the surface concentration of sulfide ions is insignificant. As the concentration of sulfide ions in solution and their coverage on the electrode surface θ increase, the cathodic polarization decreases. Tafel curves plotted for θ = const are used in estimating the exchange current i ₀ and the transfer coefficient α. It is shown that α ≈ 0.5 and weakly depends on θ, whereas the exchange current increases with the increase in θ by an approximately linear law from 10^?5 A/cm² at θ ? 0 to 10^?4 A/cm² at θ = 0.43. The obtained data are compared with the results of kinetic studies of silver anodic dissolution in similar solutions.     

Formation of doubly charged atomic ions in the inductively coupled plasma

Experimental and theoretical studies dealing with the formation efficiency of M²⁺ ions, which reduce the analytical signal of M⁺ ions and cause spectral interferences in the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), have been discussed. Inconsistencies in the results have been pointed out and goals have been formulated for further investigations necessary to correct those spectral interferences. The range of elements that form most readily M²⁺ ions has been determined. Partition functions and reduced thermodynamic potentials of atoms, M⁺ and M²⁺ ions of elements with the lowest second ionization potentials have been calculated. The Saha equation and the thermodynamic simulation were used to calculate the formation efficiency of M⁺ and M²⁺ ions for a selected group of elements in ICP. The results have been compared with experimental and theoretical data available in the literature. The accuracy of the calculations and their applicability to the prediction of the formation efficiency of M⁺ and M²⁺ ions in ICP and other spectral sources has been demonstrated. The main factors responsible for the disagreement between experimental and theoretical values of the formation efficiency of M⁺ and M²⁺ ions have been determined.