TOF-SIMS

ToF-SIMS (Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy) is one of the major techniques for surface characterazation of solid material. The instrument uses a time of flight analyzer to collect secondary ions from the surface. The primary ion beams are typically gallium or cesium. Two biggest advantages of ToF-SIMS are the high mass resolution and the lack of need for a priori knowledge of the surface. Mass spectra can be collected in both positive mode and negative mode, yielding rich information about the surface characteristics.