ASTM_E_1635_-_06_2011.pdf

Designation:E163506(Reapproved 2011)Standard Practice forReporting Imaging Data in Secondary Ion MassSpectrometry(SIMS)1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1635;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This practice lists the minimum information necessaryto describe the instrumental,experimental,and data reductionprocedures used in acquiring and reporting images generatedby secondary ion mass spectrometry(SIMS).1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E673 Terminology Relating to Surface Analysis(Withdrawn2012)3E1504 Practice for Reporting Mass Spectral Data in Second-ary Ion Mass Spectrometry(SIMS)3.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsFor definitions of terms used in this guide,refer to Terminology E673.4.Summary of Practice4.1 Experimental conditions and reporting procedures thataffect SIMS imaging data are presented in order to standardizethe reporting of such data and to facilitate comparisons withother laboratories and analytical techniques.5.Significance and Use5.1 This practice is to be used for reporting the experimentaland data reduction procedures to be described with the publi-cation of the data.6.Information to be Reported6.1 Standard information to be reported may be found inPractice E1504.This information pertains to the type of SIMSinstrumentation used,the mounting of the specimen,and theexperimental conditions.For imaging SIMS analysis,addi-tional information is required on the acquisition and displayparameters for each image.The information reported willdepend primarily on the type of SIMS instrumentation used.Two distinct instrumental configurations are used for ionimaging:the ion microscope and the ion microprobe.6.2 Experimental Conditions for Acquisition of Ion Micro-scope ImagesFor stigmatic ion imaging,the mass spectrom-eter ion optics project a mass resolved secondary ion imagethat preserves the lateral relationship between ions sputteredfrom the sample onto the plane of an imaging detector.Whenever stigmatic ion images are recorded the configurationof the secondary ion optics should be reported,including theuse and settings of contrast apertures,energy resolving slits,mass resolution,and so forth.All information regarding thecondition of the mass spectrometer that influences the spatialresolution of the image should be reported.6.2.1 Camera Based SystemsCamera-based systems im-age photons that are produced from the impact of ions onto anappropriate conversion device.In many cases,the secondaryion image is visualized via ion-to-electron conversion at amicro-channel plate placed in front of a fluorescent screen.4The image resolution(typically 0.5 to 1 m)depends on theconfiguration of the ion optics and the energy and angulardistribution of the sputtered ions.The ion image is recordedfrom the fluorescent screen by a variety of camera systems,including but not limited to vidicon cameras,intensifiedcameras such as the SIT camera,charge-coupled device(CCD)cameras and slow-scan scientific grade CCD cameras.Thedesign of the micro-channel plate assembly and camera system1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E42 on SurfaceAnalysis and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E42.06 on SIMS.Current edition approved Nov.1,2011.Published December 2011.Originallyapproved in 1994.Last previous edition approved in 2006 as E1635 06.DOI:10.1520/E1635-06R11.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced onwww.astm.org.4Lapareur,M.,Rev.Tech.Thomson-CSF,Vol 12,No.1,1980,p.225.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 used will define the sensitivity and dynamic range of theacquired images.Minimum parameters to be specified inaddition to that stated in Practice E1504 should include theintegration time for each mass,number of pixels in the image,field-of-view,and the number of bits used to digitize the image.A description of the micro-channel plate assembly(or otherion-to-photon conversion device)used should be stated(that is,for micro-channel plates:single,double,curved,and so forth,and for photon c