We have a developed a capability for conducting cluster secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) experiments on commercially available SIMS instrumentation. This paper reviews our recent work on cluster ion source development, elemental depth profiling with cluster primary ion beams and the use of cluster ion beams for organic surface characterization. An area of particular interest is the observation that beam-induced damage for some organic materials is substantially reduced under cluster bombardment. This unique feature of cluster SIMS is utilized for molecular depth profiling of selected polymer films and for studying the spatial distribution of high explosive particles by SIMS imaging. We also describe recent studies that may provide additional insight into possible mechanisms for the molecular secondary ion yield enhancement observed for organic thin films under cluster bombardment. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.