Energy-resolved depth profiling of metal-polymer interfaces using dynamic quadrupole secondary ion mass spectrometry.
Quadrupole secondary ion mass spectrometry (qSIMS) characterization of a metallized polypropylene film used in the manufacturing of capacitors has been performed. Ar(+) primary ions were used to preserve the oxidation state of the surface. The sample exhibits an incomplete metallization that made it difficult to determine the exact location of the metal-polymer interface due to the simultaneous contribution of ions with identical m/z values from the metallic and the polymer layers. Energy filtering by means of a 45 degrees electrostatic analyzer allowed resolution of the metal-polymer interface by selecting a suitable kinetic energy corresponding to the ions generated in the metallized layer but not from the polymer. Under these conditions, selective analyses of isobaric interferences such as (27)Al(+) and (27)C(2)H(3) (+) or (43)AlO(+) and (43)C(3)H(7) (+) have been successfully performed.
Téllez
Helena
H
Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Málaga, Malaga 29071, Spain.
Vadillo
José M
JM
Laserna
J Javier
JJ