Desired Functionality

An evolving list of the desired properties for the final SIMS interface.

Read and plot the different output files: .dp, .ms, .im.

Main focus is .dp files (also applies to the analysis below).

Time to depth:

The possibility to convert data to depth when data is given in time. One should be able to do this by (i) providing a value for the total depth (i.e., the depth at time[-1]) or (ii) providing a value for the sputter rate (nm/s)

Time to depth - stack of films:

When measuring samples which consists of layers of different matrices (e.g., a stacked solar cell), the sputter may be different in the various layers. It is thus necessary to extend the above "time-to-depth", which assumed a constant erosion rate throught the measured crater. It should be possible to set a value for the depth at (at least) two different times (e.g., at some interface and at the end). Preferably, this should be done by graphically moving a cursor to the relevant point.

Mass calibration:

Conversion from intensity (c/s) to concentration (cm^-^3) is done by simply multiplying the intensity by a relative sensitivity factor (RSF). This RSF value is found by measure an implanted reference sample, calculate the area under the curve and, from the known implanted dose, then be able to convert to absolute concentration for any similar material. For instance, in order to determine the absolute concentratin of In in ZnO, a measuerment of an In implanted ZnO sample is measuered under the exact same conditions as the ZnO sample of interest.

Isotopic abundance:

The total concentration of an element will be the sum of all the naturally occuring isotopes. For instance, the measuerment of 113 In is only about 4%, so the total concentration of In sould be higher by a factor of about 20. A built-in function for