SIMS

IMS 7f-Auto

Versatile SIMS Tool: Reference Detection Sensitivity with High Throughput & Full Automation

The IMS 7f-Auto is the latest version of our successful IMS xf Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS) product line. Designed to deliver high precision elemental and isotopic analyses with increased ease-of-use and productivity, it has been optimized for challenging applications such as glass, metals, ceramics, Si-based, III-V and II-VI devices, bulk materials, thin films... fulfilling industry requirements for efficient device development and process control.

Product overview +

Key analytical features for solving a wide range of analytical problems
The IMS 7f-Auto offers unparalleled depth profiling capabilities with high depth resolution and high dynamic range. The high transmission mass spectrometer is combined with two reactive, high-density ion sources, O2+ and Cs+, thus providing high sputter rate and excellent detection limits. A unique optical design allows both direct ion microscopy and scanning microprobe imaging.

Improved automation & operation efficiency
The IMS 7f-Auto is equipped with a redesigned, in-line primary column for easier and faster primary beam tuning and optimized primary beam current stability. New automated routines minimize operator related biases and improve ease-of-use. A motorized storage chamber with automated load / unload of sample holders ensures high throughput through analysis chaining and remote operation.

High reproducibility at high throughput
Thanks to its new motorized storage chamber & sample transfer, the IMS 7f-Auto can analyze multiple samples in chained or remote mode. Measurements can be fully unattended and automated, with unequalled throughput and reproducibility. Ultimate reproducibility can be achieved (RSD < 0.5 %), together with excellent detection limits, high throughput and productivity (tool can be used 24h a day with minimum operator intervention).

View recent webinars +
- Advancing High-Efficiency Silicon Solar Cells through Inkjet Printing of Polysilicon Passivating Contacts: Insights from SIMS Analysis - Webinar
  
  Thursday, January 4, 2024
  
  Australian National University scientists Dr. Sieu Pheng Phang and Ms Jiali Wang report on the use of Dynamic SIMS to characterize inkjet-printed passivating contacts for improved silicon solar cells.
  ↓ Duration: 38 minutes
  
  Click here to view
- Optimization of carbon detection limit in Silicon using the raster change method
  
  Wednesday, May 10, 2023
  
  Seoyoun (Joan) Choi, CAMECA expert application engineer for SIMS, presents applications of the “raster change” dynamic SIMS method for measuring the carbon concentration in silicon samples.
  ↓ Duration: 14 minutes
  
  Click here to view
- Lithium Diffusion In Li-Ion Battery Materials Revealed By SIMS
  
  Tuesday, November 15, 2022
  
  Learn from Dr Naoaki Kuwata, NIMS, Japan, how Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry can be used to accurately measure lithium diffusion coefficients in Li-based thin films, supporting Li-ion battery material optimization..
  ↓ Duration: 18 minutes
  
  Click here to view
- Trace Level SIMS Quantitation For Particle Accelerators
  
  Tuesday, December 6, 2022
  
  Dr Jonathan Angle reviews SIMS methodologies developed at Virginia Tech to solve mysteries specific to the characterization of SRF cavities, (predictive modeling of O diffusion, identification of contaminants from cavity furnace treatments, etc.).
  ↓ Duration: 43 minutes
  
  Click here to view
- Using SIMS for materials development of high-performance solid oxide fuel cells
  
  Wednesday, July 20, 2022
  
  Katherine Develos-Bagarinao will present her most recent research projects on SOFCs using Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) as a primary characterization tool.
  ↓ Duration: 27 minutes
  
  Click here to view
- Application of SIMS in Solar PV Research: The Role of Hydrogen in Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells
  
  Wednesday, February 9, 2022
  
  In this webinar, Dr Di Kang will present results suggesting that, to achieve the highest passivation quality, an optimum amount of hydrogen surrounding the interfacial SiOx is needed, while insufficient or excess hydrogen can both lead to degradation of poly-Si passivation.
  ↓ Duration : 37 minutes
  
  Click here to view
- The Principles of Dynamic SIMS
  
  Monday, January 6, 2020
  
  This free on-demand webinar is an excellent introduction to the dynamic SIMS technique. Different practical aspects are discussed:
  • Choice of primary and secondary beam species
  • Relative sensitivity for various elements
  • Matrix effects
  • Depth resolution & Lateral resolution
  • Depth profiling (choice of impact energy & sputtering rate, calibration method)
  • Scanning ion imaging mode
  A summary of dynamic SIMS main analytical characteristics is provided at the end.
  ↓ Duration : 20 minutes
  
  Click here to view

See what the IMS 7f-Auto can do +
- Detecting trapped hydrogen in aluminum alloy (SIMS)
  
  Dynamic SIMS is recognized as one of the most promising techniques to visualize the local distribution of H atoms in metallic materials, and the IMS 7f-Auto proves a tool of choice for hydrogen embrittlement studies thanks to outstanding 3D reconstruction capabilities and unrivaled detection limits for light elements.
  
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- Oxygen depth profiling in Zn coated steel (SIMS)
  
  The IMS 7f-Auto offers unique depth profiling and ion imaging capabilities which are useful for the study of inclusions and segregation effects in alloys.
  
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- Small area analysis in Sn-Cu wire structures (SIMS)
  
  Thanks to its outstanding imaging capabilities, the IMS 7f-Auto is a tool of choice for R&D of advanced engineering materials: diffusion in polycrystalline samples, surface imaging analysis...
  
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- Deep and shallow implant depth profiling (SIMS)
  
  The IMS 7f-Auto is widely used for dopant monitoring in the semiconductor industry, and applied to different species and material systems.
  
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- Impurity control (SIMS)
  
  Dynamic SIMS is one of the most efficient techniques for measuring trace concentrations of impurities in semiconductors.
  
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- Dopant monitoring in LED devices (SIMS)
  
  CAMECA SIMS instruments are extremely useful in investigating the composition and characterizing the elemental distribution of dopants and impurities on different layers, making them your best choice for R&D and process control of novel LED devices.
  
  Keep Reading
- Materials for Energy & Catalysis (SIMS)
  
  SIMS nitrogen concentration depth profiles in Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) films doped with nitrogen plasma help enhancing the conductivity of this material used for low-cost solar-energy conversion and photocatalysis.
  
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- CIGS thin film solar cells (SIMS)
  
  Dynamic SIMS instruments are best fit to characterize the elemental in-depth distribution (matrix species & alkali metals Na and K) in various different CIGS thin films.
  
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- Purity control in PV Si feedstock (SIMS)
  
  The IMS 7f-Auto is the tool of choice for quality control of the Si purification process which is mandatory to ensure high yield manufacturing of Si-based solar cell devices.
  
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- Nuclear glass alteration mechanisms (SIMS)
  
  Offering excellent depth profiling capabilities for low concentration elements and high precision isotopic analyses, the IMS 7f-Auto is a powerful tool for analyzing nuclear glasses.
  
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- Helium migration in nuclear reactors (SIMS)
  
  Compared to other techniques commonly used for the analysis of nuclear materials, SIMS provides better sensitivity, dynamic range and depth resolution.
  
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Documentation & case studies +
- Brochure - IMS 7f-Auto
- Application - LED
- Application - Light Elements
- Application - Materials Analysis in Nuclear Science
- Application - Nuclear Science: Fission Products Behavior
- Application – Helium Behavior in Structural Materials
- Application - Ion Transport Mechanism in Lithium Batteries
- Application - Bulk Concentration of Atmospheric Species with Raster-Change Method
- Application - Nuclear Safeguards: Pu Isotopic Analyses
- Application - Improved Dopant Quantification in Insulating Thin Films
- Application - Investigating Magnesium Diffusion in GaN with Dynamic SIMS
- Success Story - Lithium research at Tohoku University
- Success story - Building better steels at ArcelorMittal
Video +
- IMS 7f-Auto Automation
  
  See the IMS 7f-Auto in action in our last video: high analytical performance with full automation & ease of use - The leader Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry sensitivity and throughput. You too can get your data overnight!

Scientific publications +
An Excel spreadsheet compiling scientific research articles using the IMS xf (IMS 3f, 4f, 5f, 6f, 7f, IMS 7f-Auto, IMS 7f-GEO). The articles are ordered by main applications as below and are easily searchable with Excel word search functions:
- Materials
- Geosciences
- Nuclears
Download speadsheet here

Do not hesitate to contact us at cameca.info@ametek.com if you can not access some pdf files on your own. You are also more than welcome to send us any missing references, pdf and supplements!
Links to IMS users around the world +

Several hundred CAMECA IMS 6f, 7f, 7f-Auto and 7f-GEO are installed worldwide, the list below is only a very short extract from our customer list!

Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) at University of California Santa Barbara, USA
Widely recognized as one of the top five materials research facilities in the world, the MRL serves as the innovation engine for discoveries in new materials.

Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory, Virginia Tech, USA
Operated by the University's Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), the Nanoscale Characterization and Fabrication Laboratory serves the needs of researchers from VirginiaTech and from the surrounding industrial community, facilitating research in nanoscale engineering and the environment, fuel cells, paleobiology... The NCFL was one the first lab in the world to be equipped with a CAMECA IMS 7f-GEO.

Washington University in Saint-Louis (WUSTL), USA
WUSTL’s Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Group has been equipped with an IMS 7f-GEO since 2013. Research focuses on micro-scale variations in the C and S isotopic composition of biological and sedimentary materials, biogeochemical interactions between microbes and their environment.

CalTech Center for Microanalysis, USA
The Center for Microanalysis at Caltech houses a IMS 7f-GEO and a NanoSIMS 50L, providing expertise for microanalysis of geological, meteoritic and synthetic materials. Research projects carried out at CCM are most varied, ranging from cosmochemistry to experimental studies on climate change, geochronology, in-situ studies of microbial communities, materials science engineering...

University of Manitoba, Manitoba Regional Materials and Surface Characterization Facility, Canada
Equipped with a CAMECA IMS 7f and several other instruments for materials characterization, the Manitoba Regional Materials and Surface Characterization Facility provides a unique resource to regional government and industrial researchers and enables world-class research into the chemical, structural and morphological nature of surfaces and bulk materials.

Helmholtz Zentrum Dresden Rossendorf, Germany
The CAMECA IMS series instrument in Rossendorf is coupled to an accelerator mass spectrometer at the core of the "Super-SIMS" initiative of the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology.

Ioffe Institute, St Petersburg, Russia
The Ioffe Institute is one of Russia's largest institutions for research in physics and materials. Under leadership from Boris Ber, the Surface Analysis Group applies various IMS microprobes to investigations of coatings, thin films and various semiconductor structures.

University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
The School of Geoscience at University of Edinburgh is one of the largest and most successful groupings of geographers, Earth and environmental scientists in the UK. It is equipped with various CAMECA ion microprobes including an IMS 7f-GEO.

GEMAC Univ. Versailles, France
The GEMAC laboratory is equipped with an IMS 7f model used to investigate and develop materials, nanostructures and prototypes of elementary devices for electronics and optoelectronics.

CIM PACA, Arcsis, France
Located in the South East of France, a basin for semiconductor production, CIM PACA is the flagship characterization platform of ARCSIS, a consortium that unites world-ranking semiconductor groups including Philips, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments etc... as well as several dozens of small and mid-size companies, engineering schools, research laboratories and universities of the region. CIM-PACA is dedicated to the design, test and validation of new semiconductor technologies.

CC-MEM, Institut Jean Lamour / Ecole des Mines de Nancy, France
The Centre de Compétences en Microscopie Electronique et Microsondes (CC-MEM) is a collaborative research facility hosted by the Ecole des Mines de Nancy. The IMS 7f delivered in 2009 at CC-MEM contributes to cutting-edge research in material sciences, metallurgy, nanosciences.

Cinvestav, Seccion de electronica del estado solido, Mexico
Created in 1961, Cinvestav (Advanced Studies Center of the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico) is a leader institution in research and postgraduate education in Mexico and the world

Software +
- SmartPRO
  
  The new SmartPRO software package for CAMECA IMS 7f-Auto, IMS Wf and SC Ultra Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometers combines Chain Analysis and WinCurve in a seamlessly integrated environment and adds real time data processing and automation functionalities thus improving ease of use, productivity and data quality.
  
  Keep Reading
- WinCurve
  
  Specifically developed for CAMECA SIMS instruments, WinCurve offers powerful data processing & visualization capabilities in a user-friendly environment.
  
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- WinImage II
  
  Specifically developed for CAMECA SIMS instruments, WinImage II offers powerful image visualization, processing & printing capabilities under PC-Windows™ Environment.
  
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- APM
  
  Automated Particle Measurement (APM) is CAMECA software tool allowing fast screening of millions of particles, particle detection and isotopic characterization.
  
  Keep Reading
Upgrade kits +

Specific to IMS 6f users: extend the lifetime of your instrument with our IMS 6f overhaul program:
IMS 6f ion microprobes are robust, but old instruments whose electronic components are becoming obsolete. To minimize the risk of long, non-scheduled downtime, CAMECA offers an IMS 6f overhaul program, that will fully rejuvenate your instrument with a complete new electronics system, pumping and vacuum, new hardware, full automation, user-friendly acquisition and processing software, etc...
Download the IMS 6f-E7 upgrade flyer for all details of this upgrade and its benefits in terms of performance, productivity, ease-of-use, and of course, uptime and sustainability.

To view upgrade options available for IMS 6f-E7 and 7f, click on either of the components below:
Automation & Software
Sources
Airlock
Specimen Chamber
Optical System
Vacuum

Automation & Software

PC-Automation (7f equipped with SUN workstation)
PC automation system to replace SUN system, allows full automation & unattended operation and greatly improves performance and throughput.

Post-treatment Station (6f-E7/ 7f)
PC computer for off-line data processing (CAMECA software not included).

Desk Control Duplication (7f with PC-Automation / 6f-E7)
Instrument control from an operator room. Ensures optimized operation comfort when the lab is split in two parts.

APM Software Licence (PC-Automation / 6f-E7 /7f with PC-Automation)
Automated Particle Measurement software program for fast screening of large numbers of particles and detection of specific elements or isotopes. More information.

WinCurve Software Licence (offline) (7f / 6f-E7)
Offers powerful SIMS data processing & graphing capabilities. More information.

WinImage II Software Licence (offline) (7f / 6f-E7)
Offers powerful SIMS image processing capabilities. More information.

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Sources

Cs Ion Source Isolation (7f with PC-Automation)
Isolation and Pumping of the Cesium Microbeam Source.

Duo Accel/Decel (7f with PC-Automation)
Low primary ion energy system for the duoplasmatron source.

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Airlock

Storage Chamber Upgrade (7f with PC-Automation / 6f-E7)
Manual storage chamber with its load-lock designed to store up to six sample holders under high vacuum. Ensures substantial throughput improvements for applications that depend on the best UHV conditions.

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Specimen chamber

Z-Motion (7f with PC-Automation / 6f-E7)
Z-Axis manual adjustment for the sample stage.

Turbospectro upgrade (7f with PC-Automation / 6f-E7)
Turbomolecular pumps for the mass spectrometer (to replace the existing ion pumps, for optimized pumping speed in the mass spectrometer and improved abundance sensitivity while using the oxygen flooding.

Digital Video Camera (7f with PC-Automation / 6f-E7)
Numerical camera and LED sample illustration system (white light).

EPS (7f with PC-Automation)
Electrical isolation of the magnet flight tube in order to allow fast mass peak switching.

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Secondary Optical System

EM Detector Post-accelaration (7f with PC-Automation)
Postacceleration for the electron multiplier detector. Increases sensitivity when analysing heavy elements and when running the mass spectrometer at low secondary extraction voltage (<3 kV).

Vacuum

Pfeiffer Turbopump 7f
Peiiffer Turbopump 6fe7