Nanoprojectile-secondary ion mass spectrometry negative spectra of common substrates: Gold and silicon

Gold and silicon are the most common substrates used in surface science, hence the most analyzed with any surface analysis technique. In that regard, SIMS is no exception. Reference spectra have been reported in classical ToF-SIMS with bismuth as the primary projectile. They are not reported using fullerene as the primary projectile. They have also never been reported in the frame of nanoprojectile secondary ion mass spectrometry (NP-SIMS). NP-SIMS involves bombarding the target with individual nanoparticles resolved in space and time, and ultimately recording the secondary ions from each individual impact. The experiments were run on a custom-built ToF-mass spectrometer equipped with a fullerene effusion source. Two different fullerenes were used, C60+ and C60++, accelerated at 25 keV.