Muscovite single layer resolution: Secondary ion mass spectrometry depth profile: Fid-Bau Portal

Muscovite single layer resolution: Secondary ion mass spectrometry depth profile

Jerigova, Monika / Szöcs, Vojtech / Janek, Marian / Lorenc, Dusan / Velic, Dusan

AbstractThree dimensional depth profile of chemical composition by secondary ion mass spectrometry is still of high interest. Spatial resolution is evaluated on muscovite K0.70Na0.11Ca0.01{[Si3.07Al0.93][Al1.88Fe0.12Mg0.05]O10(OH)2}, forming periodically repeating layers with a single layer of 0.98nm. The depth profile determines the periodic structure as the oscillating ion mass intensities of all constituents which are well represented by Na, O, Si, SiO, and Fe cations, with assigned the absolute (depth profile/correlated) positions from the surface 0.00 (1.60/0.00) nm, 0.16 (1.76/0.20) nm, 0.19 (1.79/0.04) nm, 0.24 (1.84/0.06) nm, and 0.39 (1.99/0.19) nm, respectively. The sequence correlates well with the structure of the single muscovite layer with estimated spatial resolution of 0.07nm. Moreover a novel approach by Fourier transform provides frequency pattern with time and chirp parameters which might be a potential tool to evaluate an atomic mixing process in determination of periodic structures of clay minerals.

Graphical abstract

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Highlights•Single muscovite layer as periodic structure put SIMS depth profile into a test of chemically sensitive spatial resolution.•Na, O, Si, SiO, and Fe are representative species of muscovite with spatial resolution of 0.07nm in 0.98nm layer.•Damped chirp function was introduced as a tool to study sputtering-atomic mixing process in the periodic depth profile.