Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Research Papers (original) (raw)

A new metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxial (MOVPE) reactor-cell design has been developed to grow on 3-in.-diameter substrates. This was required to produce uniform, fully doped heterostructures needed for array producibility and... more

A new metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxial (MOVPE) reactor-cell design has been developed to grow on 3-in.-diameter substrates. This was required to produce uniform, fully doped heterostructures needed for array producibility and wafer-scale processing compatibility. The reactor has demonstrated epitaxial growth of HgCdTe (MCT) with good morphology onto both GaAs and GaAs on Si wafers. The density of surface-growth defects, typical of MOVPE growth, has been reduced to −2 at a sufficient yield to make the production of low cluster-defect, two-dimensional (2-D) arrays possible. The new horizontal reactor cell uses substrate rotation to achieve improved uniformity and is able to incorporate substrates up to 4-in. diameter. Good compositional and thickness uniformity was achieved on epilayers grown on 3-in.-diameter, low-cost GaAs and GaAs on Si wafers. Sufficient uniformity has been achieved to produce 12 sites of full-TV format 2-D arrays per slice. To yield the benefits of heterostructure design, the MCT epilayers also needed to demonstrate efficient and uniform activation of both arsenic (acceptor) and iodine (donor) dopants. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and Hall assessment showed that the uniformity of As and I doping was ±10%. Fully doped heterostructures have been grown to investigate the device performance in the 3–5 µm and 8–12 µm infrared bands. The 2-D array performance has shown that at 180 K near-background-limited performance (BLIP) diodes have been produced in the 3–5 µm band.

Organic-inorganic perovskites such as CH3NH3PbI3 are promising materials for a variety of optoelectronic applications, with certified power conversion efficiencies in solar cells already exceeding 21%. Nevertheless, state-of-the-art films... more

Organic-inorganic perovskites such as CH3NH3PbI3 are promising materials for a variety of optoelectronic applications, with certified power conversion efficiencies in solar cells already exceeding 21%. Nevertheless, state-of-the-art films still contain performance-limiting non-radiative recombination sites and exhibit a range of complex dynamic phenomena under illumination that remain poorly understood. Here we use a unique combination of confocal photoluminescence (PL) microscopy and chemical imaging to correlate the local changes in photophysics with composition in CH3NH3PbI3 films under illumination. We demonstrate that the photo-induced 'brightening' of the perovskite PL can be attributed to an order-of-magnitude reduction in trap state density. By imaging the same regions with time-of-flight secondary-ion-mass spectrometry, we correlate this photobrightening with a net migration of iodine. Our work provides visual evidence for photo-induced halide migration in triiodide...

Life is mostly composed of the elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and phosphorus. Although these six elements make up nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids and thus the bulk of living matter, it is theoretically possible... more

Life is mostly composed of the elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and phosphorus. Although these six elements make up nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids and thus the bulk of living matter, it is theoretically possible that some other elements in the periodic table could serve the same functions. Here, we describe a bacterium, strain GFAJ-1 of the Halomonadaceae, isolated from Mono Lake, California, that is able to substitute arsenic for phosphorus to sustain its growth. Our data show evidence for arsenate in macromolecules that normally contain phosphate, most notably nucleic acids and proteins. Exchange of one of the major bio-elements may have profound evolutionary and geochemical importance.

We present an automated method for U–Pb age dating of zircon by single collector laser ablation-magnetic sectorfield-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-SF-ICP-MS). The high sensitivity of SF-ICP-MS allows routine analysis... more

We present an automated method for U–Pb age dating of zircon by single collector laser ablation-magnetic sectorfield-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-SF-ICP-MS). The high sensitivity of SF-ICP-MS allows routine analysis with spot diameter of 20 to 30 μm and ablation time of 30 s, resulting in an ablation crater depth of ∼15–20 μm (∼35 to ∼65 ng of zircon). Zircon consumption is therefore limited to

This paper describes microanalysis techniques using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to measure the abundances and isotopic compositions of hydrogen, carbon, fluorine, sulfur and chlorine in volcanic glasses. SIMS measurement of... more

This paper describes microanalysis techniques using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to measure the abundances and isotopic compositions of hydrogen, carbon, fluorine, sulfur and chlorine in volcanic glasses. SIMS measurement of total H2O and total CO2 abundances compare very well with measurements on the same glasses using vibrational spectroscopy techniques (FTIR). A typical 10-min SIMS measurement for volatile abundances is made on a singly polished specimen, sputtering a crater 15–30 μm in diameter and 2–3 μm deep, utilizing 1–5×10−9 g of sample material. Detection limits are routinely <30 ppm H2O, <3 ppm CO2, and <1 ppm F, S and Cl. Measurements of δD, δ13C and δ34S in volcanic glasses are currently reproducible and accurate to 2–5‰, depending on the concentration of the element. Because of their spatial selectivity, the SIMS methods allow resolution of magmatic volatile signatures from those carried by secondary phases, which can sometimes plague traditional vac...

Secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is an important tool for investigating isotopic composition in the chemical and materials sciences, but its use in biology has been limited by technical considerations. Multi-isotope imaging mass... more

Secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is an important tool for investigating isotopic composition in the chemical and materials sciences, but its use in biology has been limited by technical considerations. Multi-isotope imaging mass spectrometry (MIMS), which combines a new generation of SIMS instrument with sophisticated ion optics, labeling with stable isotopes, and quantitative image-analysis software, was developed to study biological materials. The new instrument allows the production of mass images of high lateral resolution (down to 33 nm), as well as the counting or imaging of several isotopes simultaneously. As MIMS can distinguish between ions of very similar mass, such as 12C15N- and 13C14N-, it enables the precise and reproducible measurement of isotope ratios, and thus of the levels of enrichment in specific isotopic labels, within volumes of less than a cubic micrometer. The sensitivity of MIMS is at least 1,000 times that of 14C autoradiography. The depth resolution...

A new liquid metal ion gun (LMIG) filled with bismuth has been fitted to a time-of-flight—secondary ion mass spectrometer (TOF-SIMS). This source provides beams of Bi n q+ clusters with n = 1–7 and q = 1 and 2. The appropriate clusters... more

A new liquid metal ion gun (LMIG) filled with bismuth has been fitted to a time-of-flight—secondary ion mass spectrometer (TOF-SIMS). This source provides beams of Bi n q+ clusters with n = 1–7 and q = 1 and 2. The appropriate clusters have much better intensities and efficiencies than the Au 3+ gold clusters recently used in TOF-SIMS imaging, and allow better lateral and mass resolution. The different beams delivered by this ion source have been tested for biological imaging of rat brain sections. The results show a great improvement of the imaging capabilities in terms of accessible mass range and useful lateral resolution. Secondary ion yields Y, disappearance cross sections σ, efficiencies E = Y/σ;, and useful lateral resolutions ΔL have been compared using the different bismuth clusters, directly onto the surface of rat brain sections and for several positive and negative secondary ions with m/z ranging from 23 up to more than 750. The efficiency and the imaging capabilities of the different primary ions are compared by taking into account the primary ion current for reasonable acquisition times. The two best primary ions are Bi 3+ and Bi 52+. The Bi 3+ ion beam has a current at least five times larger than Au 3+ and therefore is an excellent beam for large-area imaging. Bi 52+ ions exhibit large secondary ions yields and a reasonable intensity making them suitable for small-area images with an excellent sensitivity and a possible useful lateral resolution <400 nm.

High spatial-resolution secondaryion microprobespectrometry, synchrotron radiation Fourier-transform infraredspectroscopy and polyacrylamide gel analysis demonstrate the intimateassociation of proteins with spheroidal aggregates of... more

High spatial-resolution secondaryion microprobespectrometry, synchrotron radiation Fourier-transform infraredspectroscopy and polyacrylamide gel analysis demonstrate the intimateassociation of proteins with spheroidal aggregates of biogenic zincsulfide nanocrystals, an example of extracellular biomineralization.Experiments involving synthetic ZnS nanoparticles and representativeamino acids indicate a driving role for cysteine in rapid nanoparticleaggregation. These findings suggest that microbially-derivedextracellular proteins can limit dispersal of nanoparticulatemetal-bearing phases, such as the

Imaging mass spectrometry combines the power of mass spectrometry to identify complex molecules based on mass with sample imaging. Recent advances in secondary ion mass spectrometry have improved sensitivity and spatial resolution, so... more

Imaging mass spectrometry combines the power of mass spectrometry to identify complex molecules based on mass with sample imaging. Recent advances in secondary ion mass spectrometry have improved sensitivity and spatial resolution, so that these methods have the potential to bridge between high-resolution structures obtained by X-ray crystallography and cyro-electron microscopy and ultrastructure visualized by conventional light microscopy. Following background information on the method and instrumentation, we address the key issue of sample preparation. Because mass spectrometry is performed in high vacuum, it is essential to preserve the lateral organization of the sample while removing bulk water, and this has been a major barrier for applications to biological systems. Recent applications of imaging mass spectrometry to cell biology, microbial communities, and biosynthetic pathways are summarized briefly, and studies of biological membrane organization are described in greater d...

Rare earth elements were determined by secondary ion mass spectrometry for 13 silicate rock samples, ranging from ultramafic-mafic to acidic compositions, 2 feldspar and 1 biotite separates. As a whole, the investigated samples are... more

Rare earth elements were determined by secondary ion mass spectrometry for 13 silicate rock samples, ranging from ultramafic-mafic to acidic compositions, 2 feldspar and 1 biotite separates. As a whole, the investigated samples are characterized by matrices and rare earth elements spectra covering most geological applications. The present data are compared with reference values. The advantage of using secondary ion mass spectrometry as a fundamental tool for trace element detection in bulk samples in the few ppm-ppb region is demonstrated.

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) using liquid metal ion guns (LMIGs) is now sensitive enough to produce molecular-ion images directly from biological tissue samples. Primary cluster ions strike a spot on the... more

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) using liquid metal ion guns (LMIGs) is now sensitive enough to produce molecular-ion images directly from biological tissue samples. Primary cluster ions strike a spot on the sample to produce a mass spectrum. An image of this sample is achieved by rastering the irradiated point over the sample surface. The use of secondary ion mass spectrometry for mapping biological tissue surfaces provides unique analytical capabilities; in particular, it enables in a single acquisition a large variety of biological compounds to be localised on a micrometer scale and scrutinised for colocalisations. Without any treatment of the sample, this method is fully compatible with subsequent and complementary analyses like fluorescence microscopy, histochemical staining, or even matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation imaging. Basic physical concepts, required instrumentation (ion source and mass analyzer), sample preparation methods, image acquisition, image processing, and emerging biological applications will be described and discussed.

Two rapid spectroscopic approaches for whole-organism fingerprinting of pyrolysis-mass spectrometry (PyMS) and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to analyze a group of 29 clinical and reference Candida isolates.... more

Two rapid spectroscopic approaches for whole-organism fingerprinting of pyrolysis-mass spectrometry (PyMS) and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to analyze a group of 29 clinical and reference Candida isolates. These strains had been identified by conventional means as belonging to one of the three species Candida albicans, C. dubliniensis (previously reported as atypical C. albicans), and C. stellatoidea (which is also closely related to C. albicans). To observe the relationships of the 29 isolates as judged by PyMS and FT-IR, the spectral data were clustered by discriminant analysis. On visual inspection of the cluster analyses from both methods, three distinct clusters, which were discrete for each of the Candida species, could be seen. Moreover, these phenetic classifications were found to be very similar to those obtained by genotypic studies which examined the HinfI restriction enzyme digestion patterns of genomic DNA and by use of the 27A C. albicans-s...