Quantitative surface analysis of coated materials by SNMS

Abstract

A great number of coating techniques and coating materials have been developed and are in practical use. To meet all requirements in quality of technical coating systems methods of quality control and quality assurance are essential. In connection with the production of coated steel secondary neutral mass spectrometry (SNMS) can be looked upon as a new tool for further approach.

The investigations reported started with the determination of sputter erosion rates and experiments with calibration standards produced by vacuum coating.

For the quantification of SNMS signals the relative sensitivity factors of all elements in question must be known. The use of complex composed reference materials for this purpose may lead to wrong results. That is due to matrix effects and occurs also for the determination of sensitivity factors for elements at low contents. Therefore the production of reference materials by pressing of metallic and oxidic powders was proposed and tested. The experiments described have proved the applicability of pressed samples for the determination of sensitivity factors, for the investigation of oxides, nitrides and carbides, and for the analysis of chips and dusts by SNMS.