Development of a C60+ ion gun for static SIMS and chemical imaging

This paper reports initial data from the application of the first dedicated buckminsterfullerene ion beam system developed for routine use on existing ToF-SIMS instruments for static SIMS and chemical imaging. The ion gun provides a selectable beam of C60+ and C602+ primary ions, producing a nA beam of C60+ focusable to 1 μm spot size. The results of comparative studies of bulk polymers and thin films using C60+ and Ga+ ions are presented. Compared to Ga+, C60+ provides a very substantial increase in real ion yields, especially at high mass, with no concomitant increase in the relative yield of low mass fragments.