Development of a compact and low energy C_<60> cluster ion gun for high resolution depth profiling ob bio-samples

2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 17560026
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Thin film/Surface and interfacial physical properties
• Research Institution: Setsunan University
• Principal Investigator: INOUE Masahiko Setsunan University, Department of Engineering, Prof., 工学部, 教授 (60191889)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SHIMIZU Ryuichi Osaka Institute of Technology, Faculty of Information Science, Prof., 情報科学部, 教授 (40029046) ; SATO Naoyuki Ibaraki University, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, 大学院・理工学研究科, 助教授 (80225979)
• Project Period (FY): 2005 – 2006
• Keywords: C_<60> fullerene / cluster ion / Time of Flight

Research Abstract

Recently, the depth profiling techniques with high depth resolution of nano-meter scale has been required for the organic multilayered devices, bio-samples and so on. Since the conventional sputtering method using rare gas ions, such as Ar^+ or Xe^+, destroy the molecular bond structures of such samples by atomic mixing, the soft sputtering using cluster ions will be most promising for the structure analysis of these samples. Aim of our study is to develop a compact C_<60> cluster ion gun which can be attached to conventional surface analysis apparatus, such as SIMS, XPS and AES.
First of all, we investigated the evaporation and ionization characteristics of C_<60>, and the optimum conditions was determined. Then we designed the C_<60> source and its control circuits. Next, we proposed the novel TOF mass filter to reduce the fragment ions and neutrals using a pair of rotating electric fields. This filter has the higher mass resolution for higher mass ions same as other TOF system, although the continuous ion beam can be generated. According to the simulation of RFMF (Rotating Field Mass Filter), we design the RFMF and its control circuits. We made the controller, and evaluated the characteristics of it. Total design of the cluster ion gun, including ion source, mass filter and ion optics, was performed.