Ion deposition experiments as a tool for the study of the spatial distribution of analyte ions in the second vacuum stage of an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer

A nickel mesh was placed in the ion beam in the second vacuum stage of an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Deposits on the mesh from the beam were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy in an effort to measure element-specific ion distributions in the beam. The experiments suggest that the distribution of material in the deposit depends on factors other than the spatial distributions of atomic ions in the ion beam. Neutral atoms can affect the formation of the deposit, as can either charged or neutral microparticulates. Caution is urged in the use of deposition experiments of this type to study ion beam behavior. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.