X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) uses an ion source to etch away thin layers of multi-layered material in order to characterize each individual layer. The technique has many useful applications, such as investigating the complete structure of touch screens, measuring plasma deposited coatings for bio-medical devices or understanding OLEDs and solar cells.

Over the years XPS has used argon ion sputtering to investigate changes in chemistry across the depth of a layered material or to clean inorganic surfaces. This ion source, however, will damage in the surface of softer materials. More recently gas cluster ion sources have been developed to overcome these limitations, enabling the analysis of materials previously inaccessible to XPS depth profiling.

The MAGCIS Dual Beam Ion Source for XPS Instruments operates in both monatomic and gas cluster modes, allowing depth profile analysis of a wide range of sample types. The MAGCIS ion source is completely controlled from Thermo Scientific™ Avantage™ software, the surface analysis software used on all Thermo Scientific XPS systems. The gas handling and source control are completely invisible to operators; all they need do is choose the mode they wish to use, either a “Monatomic” or “Cluster” ion beam of a particular energy, and run the experiment.

Applications

• Depth profiles of polymer multi-layers
• Surface cleaning of oxides and glasses
• Depth profiles of mixed materials (polymer/inorganic)
• Depth profiles of metals and oxides
• Understanding polymer electronics
• Analysis of graphene-based devices
• Conformity of bio-medical coatings
• Comparing fabric treatments
• Organic and inorganic solar cells
• Preparing high-k materials for Angle Resolved XPS