The atom-probe field ion microscope reveals the interaction of the imaging gas with the surface by field-induced adsorption and by the effect on field evaporation. An advanced design of an atom-probe FIM is described. As the image gas interaction is chemically specific, experimental facts must be collected for the variety of metals of interest to field ion microscopy. The multiplicity of charge of field evaporating metals is found to be 2 and less frequently 3 for V, 2, mostly 3, and sometimes 4 for Re, and 1 or 2 for Cu and Be. Neon and argon both desorb with single and double charges. A Cu—Be alloy also shows multiply charged CuBe2 molecule ions.
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Müuller et al. (1970) studied this question.