Is microanalysis possible in the helium ion microscope?

Abstract

Because the ability to perform some form of chemical microanalysis has become an essential feature for any microscope, it is necessary to investigate what options are available in the new "ORION" helium ion microscope (HIM). The HIM has the ability to visualize local variations in specimen chemistry in both the ion induced secondary electron and the Rutherford backscattered imaging modes, but this provides only limited and qualitative information. Quantitative, elementally specific, microanalysis could be performed in the HIM using secondary electron spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattered ion spectroscopy, or secondary ion mass spectroscopy, but while each of these options has promise, none of them can presently guarantee either reliable element identification or quantitative analysis across the periodic table.