IOE 10

The low energy range is particularly suited to applications where electron stimulated desorption of ions (ESD) from the surface must be limited. ESD is generally seen to fall off as the electron impact energy reduces below 40eV. Use of low energy electrons also reduces localised heating of the sample surface.

It is compact, fitting via an NW35CF flange, and can be made to suit any port to sample distance. A port aligner can also be fitted if required; this is especially useful for targetting the gun at low energy, when the beam is susceptible to any fields near the sample. The power supply is 1 U in height, for installation into a standard 19 inch electronics rack.

Control of the electron gun is via a software interface. In addition to providing control of voltages, the software includes other convenient features, for instance the facility to store sets of operating conditions. This greatly simplifies switching between beam energies.

The IOE 10 can be pulsed, for TOF SIMS application. It is equipped with quadrupole deflection plates which can be used for static beam positioning or for rastering using an external scan system.

Whilst the IOE 10 is not intended to be used for imaging, it is a suitable means of demonstrating the gun’s spot size performance. The three images below show a 5 mm wide aperture strip with 1 mm apertures in the foreground. The 1 mm hole is still resolved by the 10 eV beam.

Images of an aperture strip using the IOE 10’s steering plates for rastering. (a) at 1 keV, (b) at 100 eV, and (c) at 10 eV.

To learn more about how the IOE 10 enables analysis of highly insulating samples with the J105 SIMS, read our Application Note on ToF-SIMS on Insulating Samples with the J105 SIMS.