An Apparatus for Studying Liquid Matrix Assisted Organic Secondary Ion Processes

FAB is a form of organic secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) in which the primary beam is neutral and the sample is dissolved in a liquid matrix during bombardment. The success of FAB is now generally attributed to the use of the liquid sample matrix and not, as earlier claimed, the neutral charge state of the primary beam. Continued development of FAB mass spectrometry or, more generally, liquid matrix assisted SIMS requires investigation of the processes of secondary ion emission from liquid sample matrices.