1、Designation: E 1635 06Standard Practice forReporting Imaging Data in Secondary Ion MassSpectrometry (SIMS)1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1635; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last
2、 revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This practice lists the minimum information necessaryto describe the instrumental, experimental, and data reductionproced
3、ures used in acquiring and reporting images generatedby secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS).1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health pr
4、actices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2. Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E 673 Terminology Relating to Surface AnalysisE 1504 Practice for Reporting Mass Spectral Data in Sec-ondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS)3. Terminology3.1 DefinitionsFor definit
5、ions of terms used in this guide,refer to Terminology E 673.4. Summary of Practice4.1 Experimental conditions and reporting procedures thataffect SIMS imaging data are presented in order to standardizethe reporting of such data and to facilitate comparisons withother laboratories and analytical tech
6、niques.5. Significance and Use5.1 This practice is to be used for reporting the experimentaland data reduction procedures to be described with the publi-cation of the data.6. Information to be Reported6.1 Standard information to be reported may be found inPractice E 1504. This information pertains t
7、o the type of SIMSinstrumentation used, the mounting of the specimen, and theexperimental conditions. For imaging SIMS analysis, addi-tional information is required on the acquisition and displayparameters for each image. The information reported willdepend primarily on the type of SIMS instrumentat
8、ion used.Two distinct instrumental configurations are used for ionimaging: the ion microscope and the ion microprobe.6.2 Experimental Conditions for Acquisition of Ion Micro-scope ImagesFor stigmatic ion imaging, the mass spectrom-eter ion optics project a mass resolved secondary ion imagethat prese
9、rves the lateral relationship between ions sputteredfrom the sample onto the plane of an imaging detector.Whenever stigmatic ion images are recorded the configurationof the secondary ion optics should be reported, including theuse and settings of contrast apertures, energy resolving slits,mass resol
10、ution, and so forth. All information regarding thecondition of the mass spectrometer that influences the spatialresolution of the image should be reported.6.2.1 Camera Based SystemsCamera-based systems im-age photons that are produced from the impact of ions onto anappropriate conversion device. In
11、many cases, the secondaryion image is visualized via ion-to-electron conversion at amicro-channel plate placed in front of a fluorescent screen.3The image resolution (typically 0.5 to 1 m) depends on theconfiguration of the ion optics and the energy and angulardistribution of the sputtered ions. The
12、 ion image is recordedfrom the fluorescent screen by a variety of camera systems,including but not limited to vidicon cameras, intensifiedcameras such as the SIT camera, charge-coupled device (CCD)cameras and slow-scan scientific grade CCD cameras. Thedesign of the micro-channel plate assembly and c
13、amera systemused will define the sensitivity and dynamic range of theacquired images. Minimum parameters to be specified inaddition to that stated in Practice E 1504 should include theintegration time for each mass, number of pixels in the image,field-of-view, and the number of bits used to digitize
14、 the image.A description of the micro-channel plate assembly (or otherion-to-photon conversion device) used should be stated (that is,for micro-channel plates: single, double, curved, and so forth,and for photon conversion: phosphor plate, scintillator, and so1This practice is under the jurisdiction
15、 of ASTM Committee E42 on SurfaceAnalysis and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E42.06 on SIMS.Current edition approved Nov. 1, 2006. Published November 2006. Originallyapproved in 1994. Last previous edition approved in 2000 as E 1635 95 (2000).2For referenced ASTM standards, visit the A
16、STM website, www.astm.org, orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org. For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information, refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Lapareur, M., Rev. Tech. Thomson-CSF 12(1), p. 225, 1980.1Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor
17、 Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.forth). Information pertinent to the operation of the camera orimage acquisition system should also be specified. This couldinclude manufacturer and model number and the use of anyaccessory or auxiliary equipment that would affect
18、the acqui-sition or display of an image. If long integration times are usedinformation about the dark-current should be specified in astatistically meaningful way (that is, bits/pixel/sec along with astandard deviation). Any non-standard modifications made tothe equipment should be described in deta
19、il.6.2.2 Position-Sensitive, Pulse-Counting DetectorsAposition-sensitive pulse-counting detector produces singleelectrical pulses for each incident ion. In addition to thedetection of the ions, the position of the ion impact is able tobe determined by some method. An example of such a detectoris the
20、 resistive anode encoder (RAE), which consists of adouble channel plate array followed by a resistive anode.Secondary ions that impact the front of the micro-channel plateproduce electrons that strike the resistive anode. The positionof the centroid of each electron-pulse is calculated from thequant
21、ity of charge collected at each of four electrodes placed atthe corners of the anode. Many of the parameters reported forRAE-acquired images should be the same as those listed abovefor camera-based systems. The dead-time of the position-sensitive pulse-counting detector should be specified, in addi-
22、tion the nature of the dead-time correction should be specified(that is, whether the count rate affects the entire detector or justsingle pixels). It is also important to report whether a static orrastered primary beam was used. If a rastered beam was used,the size of the beam relative to the raster
23、 size will affect thecount rate at which dead-time effects become significant.6.3 Experimental Conditions for Acquisition of ScanningIon ImagesThe spatial resolution of scanning ion imagesdepends only on the size of the primary beam on the samplesurface. The primary ion beam may be pulsed, or contin
24、uous,depending upon the mass spectrometer used. Continuousprimary beams are typically used with quadrupole and mag-netic sector instruments, and modulated primary beams areused with time-of-flight SIMS instruments. Experimental pa-rameters to be reported are similar to those used for camera-based sy
25、stems. In addition, the approximate primary beam size,the method by which it was determined, the scan frequency (ordwell time per pixel), the intrapixel sequence of the scan(interlaced, random, flyback, and so forth), the type of second-ary ion detector, and the degree of electronic gating used shal
26、lalso be reported. For time-of-flight (TOF) analysis, details ofthe pulsing should be described (that is, pulse width, repetitionrate, extent of beam bunching, and so forth). In addition, anyspecial alignment or tuning of the primary column should bespecified or referenced.6.4 Display of Ion Image D
27、ata:6.4.1 False Color or Gray-Scale Image DisplaySecondary ion images are often displayed via a look-up table(LUT) representation that codes a range of pixel intensitieswith a given color or gray level. This LUT should be visible inthe image (particularly with the use of pseudo color displays)and th
28、e numerical values, or scale (secondary ion counts orpixel intensities) for the different colors should be specified.The field-of-view of the image, the mass or mass range of theanalyzed species, and the image acquisition time (or theprimary ion dose in ions/cm2) should be visible in the image orsta
29、ted in the image caption.6.4.2 Image ProcessingAny image processing performedon the reported data should be specified. If the processingalgorithm is commonly used then the method used must bestated and a reference given. If a novel processing method hasbeen employed then the mathematics of the trans
30、form must bespecified. This must include any processing performed toremove imaging artifacts. For example, when using camera-based systems, it is common practice to divide the analyticalimage by a uniformly illuminated reference to remove theinfluence of spatial variation in the response of the imag
31、ingsystem.6.4.3 Quantitative ImagingIf a concentration scale isgenerated for the image, the full quantitative imaging proce-dure should be specified. This includes the preparation andcharacterization of imaging standards and the calibration andcharacterization of the detector system response. If the
32、 imagecontains pixels with few or no counts, or if negative countscould be assigned to pixels then the method with which theseare treated must be stated (that is, are negative pixel values setto zero? Are computed ratios where zero would be in thedenominator set to zero?). In addition, some indicati
33、on shouldbe presented as to the uncertainty that should be ascribed topixel values in the quantitative image.7. Keywords7.1 imaging; secondary ion mass spectrometryASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentionedin this
34、standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such patent rights, and the riskof infringement of such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be r
35、eviewed every five years andif not revised, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited either for revision of this standard or for additional standardsand should be addressed to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of therespon
36、sible technical committee, which you may attend. If you feel that your comments have not received a fair hearing you shouldmake your views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, at the address shown below.This standard is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959,United States. Individual reprints (single or multiple copies) of this standard may be obtained by contacting ASTM at the aboveaddress or at 610-832-9585 (phone), 610-832-9555 (fax), or serviceastm.org (e-mail); or through the ASTM website(www.astm.org).E1635062
