Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
ion-beam scanning
References
Images
Figure 3: Focusing action of a radial electrostatic field produced by two semicylindrical charged electrodes on a monoenergetic beam of ions. The ions diverging from point A are brought to a focus at point B. Figure 2: Paths of monoenergetic ions moving in a plane perpendicular to a magnetic field, passing through focal point B after originating at point A (see text). Figure 4: Arrangement of the electrostatic and magnetic sectors in the Mattauch-Herzog double-focusing mass spectrometer. The ions are deflected in opposite directions in the electrostatic and magnetic fields. The divergent monoenergetic beam contains two ion species of different mass-to-charge ratio. All ions are brought to a focus along the plane AB. Figure 5: Arrangement of the electrostatic and magnetic sectors in the Nier double-focusing mass spectrometer. The angle of the electrostatic sector is 90Ā° and that of the magnetic sector 60Ā°. The direction of deflection of the ion beam is the same in both sectors. Figure 6: Schematic diagram of a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The pairs of opposing electrodes are electrically connected to a balanced voltage source having a radio frequency component superimposed on a constant potential. Combinations of values for the amplitude and frequency exist that allow ions of a given mass from a beam of constant energy to emerge undeflected.
Britannica AI Icon

ion-beam scanning

chemistry
Also known as: ion beam analysis
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  EncyclopƦdia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Figure 3: Focusing action of a radial electrostatic field produced by two semicylindrical charged electrodes on a monoenergetic beam of ions. The ions diverging from point A are brought to a focus at point B.
Figure 3: Focusing action of a radial electrostatic field produced by two semicylindrical charged electrodes on a monoenergetic beam of ions. The ions diverging from point A are brought to a focus at point B.

Ion-beam scanning, in the context of chemistry, refers to techniques that use beams of ions to analyze the composition and structure of materials, particularly surfaces. These methods are part of broader spectroscopic techniques that function by directing a beam of particles (photons, electrons, or ions) onto a material and analyzing the resulting emitted particles.1

Key applications include:
* Surface Analysis: Techniques like Ion Scattering Spectroscopy (ISS) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) use ion beams to determine the elemental composition of the outermost atomic layers of a surface. ISS is highly surface-sensitive, sampling only the top atomic layer, while RBS can probe deeper into the material.1
* Mass Spectrometry: Ion beams are fundamental to mass spectrometry, where ions are generated, separated based on their mass-to-charge ratio, and detected. Secondary-ion emission, for instance, involves bombarding a solid surface with an ion beam to create secondary ions for analysis, allowing for depth profiling.23456

These techniques are invaluable for understanding elemental distribution, chemical states, and structural information at the atomic level.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
6 Britannica Sources
  1. surface analysis - Ion scattering spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering
  2. mass spectrometry - Quadrupole spectrometer
  3. mass spectrometry - Secondary-ion emission
  4. mass spectrometry - Electron bombardment
  5. mass spectrometry - Time of flight
  6. mass spectrometry - Thermal ionization

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.