A magnetic sector atom-probe FIM

Abstract
The 60 ° magnetic sector atom-probe field ion microscope displays a section of the momentum spectrum on a stack of microchannel plates and a proximity-focused phosphor screen. A mass resolution ΔM / M ∼ 1/2000 is achieved, and “spectral lines” made up of a few individual ions may be used for the detection and identification of products of field evaporation of metals and their compounds with adsorbate gases. The capability of the new instrument is complementary to the established ToF atom probe as it employs very low evaporation rates in slow pulse or dc field evaporation, and displays the energy distribution of field ions. As an example of the difference, a palladium–neon ion compound PdNe+ is demonstrated to be very abundant, while it is a rare species in the ToF atom probe.