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 VIDEOS

Isotope Metrology on the Micro-Scale using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS)

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  Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) is used to characterize the elemental and isotopic compositions of solid materials ranging in size from sub-μm to 100s of μm in fields including semiconductors, cosmo/geochemistry, and nuclear materials. One of the SIMS capabilities in the Surface and Trace Chemical Analysis Group is the Large-Geometry (LG)-SIMS, which can achieve high transmission at high mass
resolving power, and represents the state-of-the-art for SIMS sensitivity and selectivity, particularly for trace analytes. Like many mass spectrometry
techniques, SIMS is a highly precise method for relative quantification,
in that it relies on “ground-truth” standards to yield absolute isotopic and
elemental abundance information.

One field of international
importance is Nuclear Safeguards, which relies on the ability to precisely
measure the composition of actinide particles sampled at U.N. Member States’
nuclear facilities. Appropriate particle standards are required for quality
control and bias correction of these analyses. We work with partners to help
develop and characterize new particle standards tailored for specific SIMS
analyses and develop new measurement paradigms that improve the sensitivity for
ultra-trace isotopic analyses of these particles. Two recent developments from
our group include a uranium particle age dating method using the 234U→230Th
radiochronometer and the use of new primary ion species (i.e., O3-)
to enhance the measured signal of U and Th by 100% relative to conventionally
used O-.

SIMS is also commonly applied to the
quantification of shallow ion implants and dopants in semiconductors and other
materials. We are working on characterizing the elemental and isotopic
composition of the solar wind collected by NASA’s Genesis Discovery Mission and
returned to Earth. The composition of the solar wind is used to infer that of
the Sun (nearly 99.9% of the mass of the solar system) and is used to model the
mechanisms of solar wind acceleration and enhance space weather prediction.
This is crucial for protecting satellites, which we all rely on heavily for
communication, commerce, navigation, and much more.

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