The SFM/ToF-SIMS combination for advanced chemically-resolved analysis at the nanoscale

The combination of Time-of-flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and Scanning Force Microscopy (SFM) allows the 3D-compositional analysis of samples or devices. Typically, the topographical data obtained by SFM is used to determine the initial sample topography and the absolute depth of the ToF-SIMS analysis. Here ToF-SIMS and SFM data sets obtained on 2 prototypical samples are explored to go beyond conventional 3D-compositional analysis. SFM topographical and material contrast maps are combined with ToF-SIMS retrospective analysis to detect features that would have escaped a conventional ToF-SIMS data analysis. In addition, SFM data is used to extrapolate the chemical information beyond the spatial resolution of ToF-SIMS, allowing the mapping of the chemical composition at the nanoscale.