Formerly under the jurisdiction of Committee E42 on Surface Analysis, this guide was withdrawn in January 2020 in accordance with Section 10.6.3 of the Regulations Governing ASTM Technical Committees, which requires that standards shall be updated by the end of the eighth year since the last approval date.

Ion beams are utilized in surface analysis in two ways. First, they can generate signals from the specimen, for example, in SIMS and ISS. Second, they can remove material from the specimen surface while a surface analytical technique determines the composition of the freshly exposed surface. This process is called sputter depth profiling. Ideally, this guide requires reporting all characteristics of the ion beam that can possibly affect the results so that the measurement can be reproduced.

1.1 This guide covers the information needed to characterize ion beams used in surface analysis.

1.2 This guide does not cover all information required to perform a sputter depth profile (see referenced documents), specify any properties of the specimen except its surface normal, and discuss the rationale for choosing a particular set of ion beam parameters (1,7). This guide does assume that the ion flux has a unique direction, that is, is an ion beam, rather than a wide spectrum of velocity vectors more typical of a plasma.

1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.