NSF Award
9710612
*** 9710612 Arlinghaus This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project is to develop, demonstrate, and characterize a high-resolution, resonant post-ionization imaging sputter-initiated resonance ionization nanoprobe time-of-flight instrument (SIRINP-TOF) which will make it possible to map quantitatively, and with very high sensitivity, selectivity, efficiency, and with submicron resolution, the spatial distribution of trace elements in electronic and optoelectronic devices. By combining liquid metal ion gun (LMIG) sputtering with efficient resonance post-ionization, Phase I demonstrated that high resolution imaging is possible. It was also demonstrated that very high depth resolution on small analysis areas can be obtained with SIRINP by using a pulsed LMIG for data collection and a low-energy high-dose ion gun for eroding the sample. Phase II will redesign the instrument to reduce vibration and increase long-term stability to achieve 50 nm resolution, and demonstrate the nanoprobe instrument's imaging and depth profiling capability on samples of interest to the semiconductor industry. In Phase III, commercial high resolution image analyses and instruments will be made available for the analytical community. There is and emerging market for analytical instrumentation with submicron spatial resolution and high sensitivity and selectivity, particularly in the semiconductor and biomedical research area. This market extends into the material sciences, environmental sciences, chemical, catalysis, and pharmaceutical fields. ***
