Towards secondary ion mass spectrometry on the helium ion microscope: An experimental and simulation based feasibility study with He+ and Ne+ bombardment

The combination of the high-brightness He+/Ne+ atomic level ion source with secondary ion mass spectrometry detection capabilities opens up the prospect of obtaining chemical information with high lateral resolution and high sensitivity on the Zeiss ORION helium ion microscope. The analytical performance in terms of sputtering yield, useful yield, and detection limit is studied and subsequently optimized by oxygen and cesium flooding. Detection limits down to 10−6 and 10−5 can be obtained for silicon using Ne+ and He+, respectively. A simulation based study reveals furthermore that a lateral resolution <10 nm can be obtained.

[1]  J. Notte,et al.  Analysis and metrology with a focused helium ion beama) , 2010 .

[2]  G. Slodzian,et al.  Scanning secondary ion analytical microscopy with parallel detection , 1992, Biology of the cell.

[3]  H. Scherrer,et al.  Important increase of negative secondary ion sensitivity during SIMS analysis by neutral cesium deposition , 2006 .

[4]  Brendan Griffin,et al.  A model of secondary electron imaging in the helium ion scanning microscope. , 2009, Ultramicroscopy.

[5]  M. Utlaut,et al.  Fundamental limits to imaging resolution for focused ion beams , 1996 .

[6]  J. Lorincik,et al.  Quantitative study of oxygen enhancement of sputtered ion yields. I. Argon ion bombardment of a silicon surface with O2 flood , 2004 .

[7]  T. Wirtz,et al.  Optimization of SIMS analyses performed in the MCsx+ mode by using an in situ deposition of neutral Cs , 2004 .

[8]  D. Mcphail.  Applications of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) in Materials Science , 2006 .

[9]  H. N. Migeon,et al.  A New SIMS Instrument: The Cameca IMS 4F , 1986 .

[10]  T. Wirtz,et al.  In situ deposition of neutral Cs for Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry , 2004 .

[11]  H. Scherrer,et al.  SIMS analysis with neutral cesium deposition: Negative secondary ion sensitivity increase and quanti , 2006 .

[12]  A. Wucher.  Formation of atomic secondary ions in sputtering , 2008 .

[13]  J. Notte,et al.  Understanding imaging modes in the helium ion microscope , 2009 .

[14]  Analysis of subsurface beam spread and its impact on the image resolution of the helium ion microscope , 2010 .

[15]  H. Scherrer,et al.  A TRIDYN study: Comparison of experimental SIMS useful yields with simulated Cs concentration evolution , 2007 .

[16]  Nan Yao,et al.  Superior imaging resolution in scanning helium-ion microscopy: A look at beam-sample interactions , 2008 .

[17]  P. Zalm.  Secondary ion mass spectrometry , 1994 .

[18]  C. W. Hagen,et al.  On the influence of the sputtering in determining the resolution of a scanning ion microscope , 2009 .

[19]  T. Wirtz,et al.  New neutral cesium evaporation chamber and UHV suitcase , 2011 .

[20]  Richard H. Livengood,et al.  Subsurface damage from helium ions as a function of dose, beam energy, and dose rate , 2009 .

[21]  R. Livengood,et al.  The prospects of a subnanometer focused neon ion beam. , 2012, Scanning.

[22]  F. Rüdenauer.  Spatially multidimensional secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis , 1994 .

[23]  D. Remiens,et al.  Study of Ni2–Mn–Ga phase formation by magnetron sputtering film deposition at low temperature onto Si substrates and LaNiO3∕Pb(Ti,Zr)O3 buffer , 2010 .