Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme

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DS: Fachverband Dünne Schichten

DS 15: Poster Session

DS 15.9: Poster

Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 15:00–17:00, Poster B

Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Vacuum Deposition — Nicha Thontasen, •Stephan Rauschenbach, Yeliang Wang, Giovanni Costantini, Nicola Malinowski, and Klaus Kern — Max-Planck-Institut for Solid State Research, Nanoscale Science Department, Heisenbergstr. 1, 70569 Stuttgart

Scanning Tunneling microscopy offers an atomic scale view of functional molecules and nanostructures at surfaces. In case of large biological molecules or inorganic nanoparticles, their controlled deposition on well defined surfaces under ultra-high vacuum conditions is hindered by their low vapor pressure.

To overcome this limitation electrospray ionization, a soft ionization technique, is used to create an ion beam for soft vacuum deposition. The developed apparatus employs RF- and electrostatic ion optics to control the beam’s properties such as energy, focusing and temperature. The ion beam, generated at ambient pressure, is guided through several pumping stages into high or ultrahigh vacuum.

Using time-of-flight mass spectrometry the composition of the beam can be characterized before deposition. The deposition of clusters, large molecules and proteins was demonstrated for high vacuum conditions. Current studies are focusing on the destruction free deposition of molecules and clusters, so called soft landing.

S. Rauschenbach, F. Stadler, E. Lunedei, N. Malinowski, S. Koltsov, G. Costantini, K. Kern, Electrospray Ion Beam Depostion of Clusters and Biomolecules, Small 4 (2006)