Routine analysis at sub-micron resolution through the use of sputtered initiated resonance ionization spectroscopy

Imaging at sub-micron lateral resolution is now possible due to the advent of liquid metal ion gun (LMIG) sources. The cost, however, is a reduction i n ion beam current at the surface, which directly affects the number of des orbed particles available for analysis. Furthermore, as the needs grow for chemical imaging at increasingly smaller areas, the demands on the detectio n step become enormous. Sputter initiated resonance ionization spectroscopy (SIRIS) offers advantages over conventional techniques. In SIRIS, desorbed neutral particles are photoionized through resonance excitation steps and then mass analyzed. This process nearly eliminates matrix effects and mass interferences, two problems that plague conventional SIMS (secondary ion ma ss spectrometry). Moreover, analysis of desorbed neutrals, rather than seco ndary ions, generally increase the detection efficiency by at least two ord ers of magnitude. Here we present data that demonstrates the ability of SIR IS to produce depth profiles over a large dynamic range and high lateral re solution images of Cu contaminant in a CdZnTe film. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scien ce B.V. All rights reserved.