SIMS Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) is a highly sensitive surface and depth composition analysis technique that can resolve the distribution, concentration changes, and chemical states of elements from the surface of materials to a depth of micrometers at the nanoscale. Its principle involves bombarding the sample surface with a high-energy ion beam, causing the sample to release "secondary ions," which are then analyzed by a mass spectrometry system to determine the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) to identify the presence and concentration of various elements and chemical species. SIMS is like a "microscope that can see through the texture of materials," revealing trace elements and impurity distributions that conventional observation methods cannot detect.