| AVS 58th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Applied Surface Science Division | Monday Sessions |
| Session AS-MoA |
| Session: | Quantitative Surface Chemical Analysis and Technique Development - Part II |
| Presenter: | Jerry Moore, MassThink |
| Authors: | J.F. Moore, MassThink S. Milasinovic, University of Illinois at Chicago Y. Cui, University of Illinois at Chicago J.S. Penzak, University of Illinois at Chicago Y. Liu, University of Illinois at Chicago R.J. Gordon, University of Illinois at Chicago L. Hanley, University of Illinois at Chicago |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
A new instrument is described which is capable of delivering ~70 fs pulses of 800 nm light to a 100 µm focus; this instrument can ablate small volumes (100-1000 µm3) of material from a sample (e.g. a 10 µm spot to a depth of 3 µm) and analyze the ions formed in the ablation process by time of flight and quadrupole mass spectrometry. Some novel features of this instrument include (1) a variable pressure source that allows collisional cooling of ions from the ablation plume, (2) the ability to use fs pulse pairs as well as temporally shaped laser pulses with a variable delay line to provide control over the ablation and ion formation process, and (3) a high velocity sample stage combined with a rapid data acquisition system that allows rapid scanning of materials at kHz repetition rate (of ablation events). Results from the ablation of elemental samples (Mg, Al, Si, Cu, Mo, Ag, Ta, Au) and metal alloys will be presented along with microscopy of ablation craters and a discussion of fluence dependence, useful yield, and instrumental sensitivity. Although the current system provides analysis on the micron scale, plans to extend its capability to the nanometer scale and to apply ablation to nanoparticles are being made and will be addressed.