Dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry (D-SIMS) is used to quantitatively determine changes in composition as a function of depth of inorganic materials. The technique is most commonly used to accurately determine the level of dopants in semiconductors near the surface of semiconductors. Relative to many surface analysis techniques, the profile rate is rapid and significant amounts of material can be removed. Therefore, D-SIMS is considered a destructive analysis technique. In order to provide accurate quantification, standards that are similar to the unknown must be provided.
Thin Film Analysis
The technique can be also used to study contamination in thin films. The adjacent plot shows the D-SIMS profile through a titanium sputtered film. The intensity can be made semiquantitative by conducting parallel analysis with XPS and calibrating the depth through profilometry.