During the last 25 years IONTOF has continuously made significant development efforts to further improve the instrumentation for Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) and related techniques. Some of the most recent achievements include in-situ sample preparation and tomography by FIB, enhancement of maximum count rates and dynamic range in conventional depth profiling of inorganic materials, the design of a TOF-SIMS / SPM combination instrument, as well as the integration of an Orbitrap^TM mass spectrometer with unrivalled mass resolution and mass accuracy into the TOF.SIMS 5 instrument.

IONTOF’s, new TOF.SIMS NCS instrument platform combines all the well-known options of our high-end TOF.SIMS 5 system with the possibility to perform in-situ SPM measurements. The sophisticated, large area SPM unit has a scan range of up to 80 x 80 µm² and is ideally suited to provide topographic information for SIMS measurements. Beside AFM, MFM, KPFM and multi-frequency modes it also supports a unique surface profiler mode which allows for fast measurements of large SIMS craters. The new piezo sample stage with submicron position accuracy ensures fast and precise movement between the TOF-SIMS and the SPM measurement position.

Depth profiling of organic materials, e.g. layer systems for optical and electronic devices, can be ideally performed using gas cluster ion beams (GCIB) in combination with TOF-SIMS. For optimum performance, a dual-beam approach is usually utilized, employing a lower energetic quasi DC sputter beam for material removal and a short-pulse small-spot analysis beam for optimal mass spectral and imaging performance.

However, molecular identification of unknown substances, e.g. contaminants, is usually hampered by constraints in mass resolution and mass accuracy of the TOF analyzer. Furthermore, ions generated in the sputter phase of the dual-beam experiment are lost for analysis. In order to overcome these limitations, a TOF / Orbitrap^TM SIMS hybrid instrument has been developed in order to combine all advantages of a state-of-the-art TOF-SIMS with the mass spectrometry performance of a Q Exactive^TM HF mass analyzer. The Q Exactive^TM HF provides a mass resolution of more than 240,000 @ m = 200 u, <1 ppm mass accuracy, and full MS/MS capabilities for structural analysis of complex molecules. By utilizing these unique features, the SIMS analyst can make peak identifications with much greater confidence.