Cryogenic TOF‐SIMS Around Sublimation Temperature of Quench‐Condensed Noble Gas (Ne, Ar, and Kr) Films

ABSTRACT

A possible TOF‐SIMS analysis of surface phase transitions has recently been proposed for limited cases such as polymers and ionic liquids. In the present study, we have extended this analysis to quench‐condensed noble gas films. The newly developed cryogenic TOF‐SIMS allowed both measurements of TOF‐SIMS below 4 K, and low‐energy ion scattering spectroscopy that is used to prepare a clean surface. It was found that the TOF‐SIMS intensity variation by increasing the temperature at a constant ramp rate (temperature‐programmed TOF‐SIMS) shows steep changes due to sublimation. Thus, the possibility of analyzing the surface phase transition at the local region defined by the incident ion beam of (cryogenic) TOF‐SIMS was demonstrated in the present study.