ASTM E1635-06(2019)

This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
Designation: E1635 − 06 (Reapproved 2019)
Standard Practice for
Reporting Imaging Data in Secondary Ion Mass
Spectrometry (SIMS)
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1635; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
1. Scope 4. Summary of Practice
1.1 This practice lists the minimum information necessary 4.1 Experimental conditions and reporting procedures that
to describe the instrumental, experimental, and data reduction affect SIMS imaging data are presented in order to standardize
procedures used in acquiring and reporting images generated the reporting of such data and to facilitate comparisons with
by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). other laboratories and analytical techniques.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as
5. Significance and Use
standard. No other units of measurement are included in this
5.1 This practice is to be used for reporting the experimental
standard.
and data reduction procedures to be described with the publi-
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the
cation of the data.
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
6. Information to be Reported
priate safety, health, and environmental practices and deter-
6.1 Standard information to be reported may be found in
mine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
Practice E1504. This information pertains to the type of SIMS
1.4 This international standard was developed in accor-
instrumentation used, the mounting of the specimen, and the
dance with internationally recognized principles on standard-
experimental conditions. For imaging SIMS analysis, addi-
ization established in the Decision on Principles for the
tional information is required on the acquisition and display
Development of International Standards, Guides and Recom-
parameters for each image. The information reported will
mendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical
depend primarily on the type of SIMS instrumentation used.
Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.
Two distinct instrumental configurations are used for ion
imaging: the ion microscope and the ion microprobe.
2. Referenced Documents
6.2 Experimental Conditions for Acquisition of Ion Micro-
2.1 ASTM Standards:
scope Images—For stigmatic ion imaging, the mass spectrom-
E673 Terminology Relating to SurfaceAnalysis (Withdrawn
eter ion optics project a mass resolved secondary ion image
2012)
that preserves the lateral relationship between ions sputtered
E1504 Practice for Reporting Mass Spectral Data in Second-
from the sample onto the plane of an imaging detector.
ary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS)
Whenever stigmatic ion images are recorded the configuration
of the secondary ion optics should be reported, including the
3. Terminology
use and settings of contrast apertures, energy resolving slits,
3.1 Definitions—For definitions of terms used in this guide,
mass resolution, and so forth. All information regarding the
refer to Terminology E673.
condition of the mass spectrometer that influences the spatial
resolution of the image should be reported.
6.2.1 Camera Based Systems—Camera-based systems im-
This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E42 on Surface age photons that are produced from the impact of ions onto an
Analysis and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E42.06 on SIMS.
appropriate conversion device. In many cases, the secondary
Current edition approved Nov. 1, 2019. Published November 2019. Originally
ion image is visualized via ion-to-electron conversion at a
approved in 1994. Last previous edition approved in 2011 as E1635 – 06 (2011).
micro-channel plate placed in front of a fluorescent screen.
DOI: 10.1520/E1635-06R19.
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
Theimageresolution(typically0.5 µmto1µm)dependsonthe
contact ASTM Customer Service at service@astm.org. For Annual Book of ASTM
configuration of the ion optics and the energy and angular
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on
the ASTM website.
The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced on
www.astm.org. Lapareur, M., Rev. Tech. Thomson-CSF, Vol 12, No. 1, 1980, p. 225.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States
E1635 − 06 (2019)
distribution of the sputtered ions. The ion image is recorded netic sector instruments, and modulated primary beams are
from the fluorescent screen by a variety of camera systems, used with time-of-flight SIMS instruments. Experimental pa-
including but not limited to vidicon cameras, intensified rameters to be reported are similar to those used for camera-
cameras such as the SITcamera, charge-coupled device (CCD) basedsystems.Inaddition,theapproximateprimarybeamsize,
cameras and slow-scan scientific grade CCD cameras. The the method by which it was determined, the scan frequency (or
design of the micro-channel plate assembly and camera system dwell time per pixel), the intrapixel sequence of the scan
used will define the sensitivity and dynamic range of the (interlaced, random, flyback, and so forth), the type of second-
acquired images. Minimum parameters to be specified in ary ion detector, and the degree of electronic gating used shall
addition to that stated in Practice E1504 should include the also be reported. For time-of-flight (TOF) analysis, details of
integration time for each mass, number of pixels in the image, the pulsing should be described (that is, pulse width, repetition
field-of-view,
...