Which elements can secondary ion mass spectrometry detect?

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Moon rock crystals — surface analysis A scanning-electron-microscope photograph of pyroxene and plagioclase crystals (the long and the short crystals, respectively) that grew in a cavity in a fragment of Moon rock gathered during the Apollo 14 mission.

Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is unique among surface analysis techniques because it is sensitive to all elements in the periodic table.1

While SIMS can detect every element, its sensitivity varies significantly depending on the sample matrix and the specific element being analyzed. As a general rule, sensitivity is influenced by the chemical nature of the element:

Positive-ion SIMS: Generally shows higher sensitivity for more electropositive elements.1
Negative-ion SIMS: Generally shows higher sensitivity for more electronegative elements.1

Because of these matrix effects, sensitivity can vary by as much as a factor of $10^{5}$ between the elements for which SIMS is most and least sensitive. Despite these variations, the technique is highly valued for its extreme sensitivity, capable of detecting materials at concentrations as low as one part per million of a monolayer.1