Abstract: The invention relates to a method to determine depth profiles in an area of thin coating of solid substrates comprising the following steps: producing an ion beam with a substantial amount of ions having a molecular weight above 32 and consisting of at least 3 atoms; focusing the ion beam on the substrate surface whereby ions break down into two components upon impact and impact energy of the individual atoms or molecular fragments is sufficient for the removal of the upper coating as defined and interaction of particles bombarded by the solid body does not lead to a coating to be formed; removing defined surface coatings by an ionic beam sputter process; determining of concentration of sputtered components removed from the substrate surface by means of a measuring probe with a measuring and evaluation circuit connected downstream.

Abstract: A laser activated mass spectrometer having a sample holder for holding a given component to be investigated, a laser source for producing a laser beam to evaporate the given component and a vacuum chamber in which the evaporated component is analyzed, has the sample holder and the given component mounted outside the vacuum chamber of the mass spectrometer under atmospheric pressure or in an inert gas atmosphere. The sample holder comprises a polymer carrier film for depositing the component thereon with the carrier film forming part of a wall of the vacuum chamber of the mass spectrometer. The laser beam is directed onto the deposited component for evaporating the given component and simultaneously forming a hole in the carrier film through which the given component is transferred into the vacuum chamber of the mass spectrometer simultaneously with evaporation.

Abstract: The analysis comprises first enriching the component to be determined (target component) by contacting an non porous solid surface with the gas or the liquid to be investigated and depositing the target component from the gaseous or liquid phase onto the solid surface in the range of a monolayer preferably within the first monolayer. The deposition is effected by absorbing the target component either directly or in the form of a derivative product, which can then be detected by introducing the solid surface with the enriched target component into a mass spectrometer. Surface sensitive mass analyzers, such as secondary ion mass spectrometers or laser activated mass analyzers, have been proven successful.