Abstract
The three-dimensional atom probe (3 D-AP) is a new variant of the field ion microscope (FIM) combined with a time of flight mass spectrometer and single ion detection sensitivity (imaging atom probe). With the field ion microscope the topology of a surface, surface reactions and surface modifications can be studied in atomic detail. Using time of flight measurements, surface layers and interface layers can be chemically analyzed atom by atom and atomic layer by atomic layer. This three-dimensional atom probe permits the elemental reconstruction of a small volume of the specimen with near atomic resolution. This improvement is obtained by using the digitized video signal of the imaging atom probe detector and a separate time signal from the phosphor screen to achieve simultaneously the x and y position and the mass-to-charge ratio of individual ions striking the detector. Examples from a study on high speed steel are presented to demonstrate the usefulness of a recently built instrument.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Müller EW, Tsong TT (1969) Field Ion Microscopy, Principles and Applications. Elsevier, New York
Miller MK, Smith GDW (1989) Atom Probe Microanalysis. Material Research Soc., Pittsburgh
Müller EW, Panitz JA, Mclane SB (1974) Rev Sci Instrum 39:83
Panitz JA (1974) J Vac Sci Technol 11:206
Müller EW, Krishnaswamy SV (1974) Rev Sci Instrum 45:1053
Miller MK (1991) Surf Sci 246:428
Cerezo A, Godfrey TJ, Smith GDW (1988) J Physique (Paris) 49:C6–25
Cerezo A, Godfrey TJ, Smith GDW (1988) Rev Sci Instrum 59:862
Blavette D, Bostel A, Sarrau JM, Deconihout B, Menand A (1993) Nature 363, No. 6428:432
Advanced Visual Systems Inc, 300 Fifth Avenue, Waltham, MA 02154
Wada M, Hosoi K, Nishikawa O (1982) Acta Metall 30:1013
Andren H-O (1981) Scr Metall 29:749
Stiller K, Svensson L-E, Howell PR, Rong W, Andren H-O, Dunlop GL (1984) Acta Metall 32:1457
Fischmeister HF, Karagöz S, Andren H-O (1988) Acta Metall 36:817
Houdremont E (1956) Handbuch der Sonderstahlkunde. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
Elrakayby A-M, Mills B (1986) J Mat Sci Lett 5:332
Miller MK, Hetherington MG (1991) Surf Sci 246:442
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Leisch, M. Three-dimensional field ion mass spectrometry. Fresenius J Anal Chem 349, 102–106 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00323231
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00323231