Secondary ion mass spectrometry

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) is a powerful analytical technique used to study the composition of materials at a microscopic level. It works by bombarding a sample with a focused ion beam, which knocks out secondary ions from the surface. These ions are then collected and analyzed to identify their mass and abundance. This allows scientists to gain insights into the elemental and isotopic makeup of the sample, making SIMS valuable in fields like materials science, geology, and biochemistry for characterizing surfaces and thin films.