Resolving mass spectral overlaps in atom probe tomography by isotopic substitutions – case of TiSi15N
Journal article, 2018

Mass spectral overlaps in atom probe tomography (APT) analyses of complex compounds typically limit the identification of elements and microstructural analysis of a material. This study concerns the TiSiN system, chosen because of severe mass-to-charge-state ratio overlaps of the 14 N + and 28 Si 2+ peaks as well as the 14N 2 + and 28 Si + peaks. By substituting 14 N with 15 N, mass spectrum peaks generated by ions composed of one or more N atoms will be shifted toward higher mass-to-charge-state ratios, thereby enabling the separation of N from the predominant Si isotope. We thus resolve thermodynamically driven Si segregation on the nanometer scale in cubic phase Ti 1- x Si x 15 N thin films for Si contents 0.08 ≤ x ≤ 0.19 by APT, as corroborated by transmission electron microscopy. The APT analysis yields a composition determination that is in good agreement with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and elastic recoil detection analyses. Additionally, a method for determining good voxel sizes for visualizing small-scale fluctuations is presented and demonstrated for the TiSiN system.

Mass spectral overlap

Atom probe tomography (APT)

Titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN)

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS)

Isotopic substitution

Isotope enrichment

Author

[Person f2f758d7-4265-4404-87ea-b6ea3523c633 not found]

Linköping University

[Person 198e2b66-3ce8-426d-8d4e-540f2ecb054c not found]

Sandvik

[Person 39072028-c64e-4e2f-ac99-24aad75c8f8d not found]

Linköping University

[Person bc8b9fc6-05cf-4877-82d8-3d5ba45fab3a not found]

Chalmers, Physics, Materials Microstructure

[Person 3b8048ce-8f16-485f-82a7-5ee145af5d61 not found]

Linköping University

Ultramicroscopy

0304-3991 (ISSN) 1879-2723 (eISSN)

Vol. 184 51-60

Subject Categories

Inorganic Chemistry

Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics

Other Chemistry Topics

DOI

10.1016/j.ultramic.2017.08.004

More information

Latest update

1/7/2019 2