Definition
Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) is a method for chemical microanalysis of solid surfaces (Benninghoven, 1994; Belu, 2003; Vickerman and Briggs, 2001). The method can be used to obtain detailed information of the organic and inorganic composition of samples at a spatial resolution down to <1 μm. It is a highly surface-sensitive method, providing chemical information about the uppermost molecular layers only. The analysis is based on mass spectrometry and requires no preselection or labeling of the substances to be analyzed.
In a ToF-SIMS measurement, the sample is bombarded by a pulsed, focused, high-energy ion beam (primary ions) that causes atoms, molecular fragments, and intact molecules to be ejected from the sample surface. A small fraction of the ejected particles will be ionized (secondary ions). The secondary ions are extracted and directed into a time-of-flight (ToF) mass analyzer, where they are separated with respect to mass to charge...
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Bibliography
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Sjövall, P., Lausmaa, J. (2011). ToF-SIMS. In: Reitner, J., Thiel, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geobiology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9212-1_209
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