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2The progress of rl-SNMS machine development in Yekaterinburg: what already has been done and what has to be done soon?
V.M. Gadelshin1'2
1- Ural Federal University, Institute of Physics and Technology, Mira st. 19, 620002 Yekaterinburg, Russia 2- Institute of Industrial Ecology UB RAS, Sofia Kovalevskaya st. 20, 620990 Yekaterinburg, Russia
Resonantly (laser) ionized Sputtered Neutral Mass Spectrometry (rl-SNMS) is the most advanced version of the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) - a method for studying the chemical composition and its distribution over the surface and in the volume of a sample material. Due to the use of the laser resonance ionization, it is possible to address neutral particles, which are sputtered in a standard SIMS in the ratio of ~100:1 to secondary ions [1]. As a consequence, for certain chemical elements the matrix effects become negligible, and a higher sensitivity to rare-earth and transuranium elements on an ultra-trace, even femtogram level can be achieved [2]. Moreover, in a combination with time-of-flight (TOF) mass analyzer, the laser resonance ionization allows to handle the purified ion beam of a desired nuclide almost without isobaric interferences.
In the talk the basic principles of the method and an overview of recent rl-SNMS applications are going to be given. Currently, a new rl-SNMS machine is being developed in Yekaterinburg in the frame of a joint laboratory between the Ural Federal University and the Institute of Industrial Ecology UB RAS. The used laser system is based on tunable Ti:Sapphire lasers of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz design [3] pumped by a commercial pulsed Nd:YAG laser with a repetition rate of 10 kHz (Photonics Industries DM60-532). In comparison with other known projects, the status of the rl-SNMS machine in Yekaterinburg as well as the upcoming research program will be presented.
This work was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) (project no. 1905-50138).
[1] A. Wucher. Laser post-ionisation - fundamentals, in TOF-SIMS: Materials Analysis by Mass Spectrometry, 2nd ed. - Charlton, United Kingdom: IM Publications Open LLP. - 2013. - pp. 217-246.
[2] H. Bosco, et al, New horizons in microparticle forensics: Actinide imaging and detection of 238 Pu and 242m Am in hot particles, Science Advances, vol. 7(44). - 2021. - p. eabj1175.
[3] M. Franzmann, H. Bosco, C. Walther, K. Wendt, A new resonant Laser-SNMS system for environmental ultra-trace analysis: Installation and optimization, International Journal of Mass spectrometry, vol. 423. - 2017. - pp. 27-32.
