SIMS for analysis of nanostructures

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) has joined the ranks of commonplace analytical tools for nanostructures in ways that would have been difficult to foresee even a decade ago. In particular, improvements in numerical data processing have permitted the use of SIMS in one dimension with uneven surfaces and in reconstructing compositional profiles in two and even three dimensions. These developments offer perhaps the brightest prospects for making SIMS a leading member within the select family of first-line characterization tools for nanoelectronics, nanoparticles, and polycrystalline and composite materials — as well as expanding the science base for tailoring such structures.