Investigation of the spark erosion process in spark-source mass spectrometry with an electron microprobe

The spark erosion process in the ion source of the spark-source mass spectrometer is investigated by examining particles generated from aluminium and zinc alloys in an automated electron probe microanalyzer. For the element with the lowest melting point, selective evaporation was observed. Cross-sections of the sparked surface were examined. The thickness of the molten layer was found to be of the order of a few micrometers; the layer is locally homogeneous in chemical composition.