Routine problem solving with the SIMS chemical microscope

An analysis of surface chemistry is increasingly being used to help solve p roblems related to adhesion and adhesives. Physical tests have been routine ly employed for many years, but the high costs of surface analysis techniqu es have meant that the complementary chemical information has only been obt ained for a much reduced subset of samples. The chemical microscope is a be nchtop imaging SIMS instrument that has been specifically designed to overc ome this cost barrier. By a combination of low capital cost, automated oper ation, high reliability, rapid sample throughput and assisted data interpre tation, the cost of a routine SIMS analysis has been reduced to approximate ly 10% of its historical value. Two case studies are presented, the first r elating to the exact identification of siloxane contaminants, the second co ncerned with monitoring the effect of a silane pre-treatment of the surface . The results demonstrate the importance of a routine analysis methodology giving structural information from organic species with a high degree of su rface specificity. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.