The introduction of metal cluster and polyatomic primary ion beams had has dramatically enhanced the capability of SIMS for the molecular analysis of complex, particularly organic materials. The metal cluster beams, based on gold and bismuth resulted in a very significant increase in ion yield of larger 'molecular' ions in the m/z range above 300. This has enabled significant advances in 2D imaging of bio-systems, although the analysis is still restricted to the static regime. Polyatomic ion beams such as SF5+, C60+and Arn+ (n>50) have introduced a completely new analysis paradigm by enabling analysis and imaging far beyond the static limit such that molecular depth profiling and 3D imaging of organic and biological systems has become possible.

 

The paper will discuss some of the most recent advances and seek to assess the future opportunities for SIMS analysis using cluster ion beams.