Secondary ion mass spectrometry on the helium ion microscope: A feasibility study of ion extraction

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 (HIM). The analytical performance in terms of lateral resolution and sensitivity was investigated. The effect of the secondary ion extraction field on the probe size of the HIM and the transmission of the extraction system were studied using SIMION. Probe sizes <10 nm and sensitivities in the ppm range are possible using a set of extraction electrodes consistent with the geometry of the ORION instrument. (C) 2012 American Vacuum Society. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1116/1.4754309]