TOF-SIMS

The IONTOF TOF-SIMS IV system pictured here is a time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry system used to analyze trace contaminants at surfaces and interfaces at concentrations as low as 10^{^15} cm^-3 with secondary ion mass resolution as high as 1/10000 amu. Time-of-flight SIMS differs from traditional quadrapole SIMS in that a full mass spectra is recorded at each “pulse”, allowing tracking of unlimited number of atom or molecules (from mass 1 to 1000 amu) with high depth and 2-D spatial resolution. My studies utilized the controllable low sputter energies and static (no sputter beam) capabilities to characterize surfaces, contamination, and intermixing at buried superconductor/semiconductor interfaces My duties as superuser on this system included operation, maintenance, repair, and training users.