Comparison of bismuth emitting liquid metal ion sources

Four different liquid metal ion sources (LMIS), working with pure Bi as well as with Bi containing alloys (Au(13)Bi(87), Ga(38)Bi(62), Ga(35)Bi(60)Li(5)) were investigated with respect to the emission behavior as a function of current and temperature, the mass spectra and the energy distribution of the individual ion species. Additionally, for the pure Bi-LMIS the sputtering rates for Bi ions and clusters on Si, SiO(2) and Ge substrates were compared with that of Ga projectile ions using a mass separating focused ion beam system.