Application of molecular (static) secondary ion mass spectroscopy to detection of organic molecules in amorphous titanium carbide

Molecular, or static, secondary ion mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) is applied to the detection of organic molecules in amorphous titanium carbide films. The presence of such organic clusters is thought to stabilize the amorphous phase to higher temperatures (>1000°C) and greater thicknesses. The high corrosion resistance properties of the TiC deposits are also attributed to the inclusion of such molecular entities. The processes whereby these molecular entities in the films are transformed into secondary ions during SIMS analysis are also investigated. It is shown that the dominant ionization mechanisms in this case are electron and momentum transfer.