Electrospray ionization deposition of BSA under vacuum conditions

Vacuum deposition techniques like thermal evaporation and CVD with their precise layer control and high layer purity often cannot be applied for the deposition of chemical or biological molecules. The molecules are usually decomposed by heat. To overcome this problem, the Electrospray ionization (ESI) process known from mass spectroscopy is employed to transfer molecules into vacuum and to deposit them on a substrate. In this work, a homemade ESI tool was used to deposit BSA (Bovine serum albumin) layers with high deposition rates. Solutions with different concentrations of BSA were prepared using a methanol:water (MeOH:H2O) mixture (1:1) as solvent. The influence of the substrate distance on the deposition rate and on the transmission current was analyzed. Furthermore, the layer thickness distribution and layer adhesion were investigated.