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Scanning ion microprobes, in conjunction with secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) provide, at high spatial resolution, chemical, isotopic and morphological information about materials. A powerful analytical microscopy technique, scanning probe SIMS offers, in the best cases, 20 nm spatial resolution, with nanometer-scale depth resolution and parts per billion concentration sensitivity. By employing different measurement strategies, either the uppermost monolayer, the top few monolayers, or the bulk of a solid can be studied. It is well known that, because of trade-offs imposed by the finite volume of matter being studied, it is impossible to combine high spatial resolution with ultimate spectrometric sensitivity. In this paper, we briefly review the history of the scanning probe SIMS technique. Then we describe several recent developments in the field: improvements conceived to improve simultaneously spatial resolution and sensitivity. The technique has found applications in many diverse areas, from biology to semiconductors, from cosmochemistry to superconductors. Highlighting these applications, we present results from the study of dynamic processes on the surface of liquids, and the analysis of engineered ceramics and photoemulsion microcrystals. |
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