Analyse only the uppermost layers

Low Energy Ion Scattering (LEIS) is a special surface analysis technique which is optimised to provide information on the surface composition of only the uppermost layers of the surface. While other techniques such as TOF-SIMS and XPS provide a much greater information depth. Information on the surface layer is especially valuable since the outer surface of the material is of primary importance in determining its physical and chemical interactions.

In LEIS analysis the sample surface is bombarded with noble gas ions at an energy of a few keV. The ions are scattered by the atoms of the surface following the laws of the conservation of energy and momentum. By measuring the energy of the backscattered ions, the masses of the scattering surface atoms are determined. With the advanced analyser design of the Qtac100 from our partners IONTOF, the measured intensity is directly proportional to the to the surface coverage of the corresponding element and is not influenced by the chemical environment. This allows matrix independent quantification.