Polyatomic materials sputtering

Investigations of cluster formation serve to explain the evaporation and atomization of sample material and ion formation processes. A further aim of cluster research is to find out under what conditions cluster or polyatomic ion formation can be influenced in order to avoid disturbing interferences and decrease the detection limits of elements. On the other hand, polyatomic ions have also been used as analyte ions for analysis, e.g. the application of MCs+ and MCs2+ dimeric and trimeric ions as analyte11 or of cluster primary ion beams (e.g., of bismuth and gold primary clusters)15 16 by the bombardment and sputtering of a solid surface in SIMS.17-21 Especially in SIMS, a multitude of cluster ions with high ion formation rates are observed.18 22 23... 

Bombarding a sample with a primary beam of ions results in several secondary species being sputtered from a sample surface. These secondary species include monatomic and polyatomic ions of the sample material, neutrals of the sample material, resputtered primary ions, electrons and photons. The sputtered species of most analytical interest are the neutrals and secondary ions. There are techniques for... 

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