Super-SIMS at HZDR - first steps: measurements on halogens

The integration of an ion source with very high spatial resolution with a tandem accelerator is a long-standing concept for improving analytical selectivity and sensitivity by orders of magnitude [1-3]. Translating this design concept to reality has its challenges [e.g. 4-6]. Supporting a strong focus on natural, metallic and mineral resources the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology installed such a system at the Ion Beam Centre at HZDR. This so-called Super-SIMS will be at the core of a comprehensive pallet of micro-analytical methods devoted to the characterization of minerals and ores. Secondary ion beam from a CAMECA IMS 7f-auto are injected into the pre-existing 6MV Dresden Accelerator Mass Spectrometry facility [7,8], which quantitatively eliminates isobaric molecular species from the ion beam.
Our SIMS component can function as either a stand-alone device or can be used to inject the negatively charged secondary ions at energies of up to 40 keV (to match the acceptance conditions) into the accelerator.
We will present the current status of this initiative and will report first results from halogen determinations (F – I) in sphalerite and galena. These data demonstrate a systematic and significant change in the counting rates of all halogens in mineralogically clearly distinguishable areas of both minerals. Furthermore first attempts on quantification with reference materials are given in [8].

[1] K. Purser et al. Surface and Interface Analysis 1(1), 1979, 12.
[2] J. M. Anthony, D. J. Donahue, A. J. T. Jull, MRS Proceedings 69 (1986) 311-316.
[3] S. Matteson, Mass Spectrom. Rev., 27 (2008) 470.
[4] Ender et al. NIMB 123 (1997) 575.
[5] C. Maden, PhD thesis, ETH Zurich 2003.
[6] A. J. Fahey et al. Analytical Chemistry 88(14), 2016, 7145.
[7] Sh. Akhmadaliev et al., NIMB 294 (2013) 5. [8] G. Rugel et al. NIMB 370 (2016) 94.
[8] R. Ziegenrücker et al., this conference.