GGR Biennial Review: Advances in Geo‐SIMS during 2006–2007 |
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| Authors: | Michael Wiedenbeck |
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| Institution: | Section 4.2 Inorganic and Isotope Geochemistry, Helmholtz‐Zentrum Potsdam, Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum, Albert Einstein Stra?e, D14473 Potsdam, Germany e‐mail: michawi@gfz‐potsdam.de |
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| Abstract: | Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS or ion microprobe) remains one of the most powerful tools available to the analytical geochemist. Despite the impressive progress witnessed by other competing laboratory methods over recent years, SIMS remains unsurpassed in its combination of small sampling volumes with low analytical uncertainties. Although the current SIMS analytical design has existed for over three decades, the period 2006–2007 saw significant advances in instrumentation, analytical methodology and, not least, the characterisation of new reference materials upon which all analyses depend. As of the end of 2007 the SIMS geoscience literature was reporting total sampling masses down to the 10 fg range, spatial resolution of better than 100 nm and uncertainties on major element isotope ratio determinations of better than ± 0.2‰ (1s). This article intends to synthesise the progress made by the geo‐SIMS community during this two year period and will also highlight some specific research results that were only possible due to the unique capabilities provided by SIMS. |
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| Keywords: | review SIMS ion probe reference materials instrumentation isotopes |
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