The surface is an important zone as it is the interface between a material of interest and the environment with which it interacts. For biomaterials and drug delivery systems, knowledge of interface chemistry is important for understanding how a material will interact with the biological environment of the body. For other materials, particularly those that are employed in the manufacture of medical devices, evaluation of the surface is important to further understand issues with welding, adhesion, contamination, discoloration, etc. This talk will highlight the power of surface analysis methods and how they are employed in the medical device industry. The analytical methods include TOF-SIMS and ESCA which allow chemical characterization of the uppermost ~75Å of a material. Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and laser profilometry are used to gain topographical information and to measure roughness of surfaces. A field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) allows high resolution imaging of surfaces with resolution capabilities to 1 nanometer. A low vacuum SEM further allows characterization of non-conductive, wet, and organic samples. SEM also has the capabilities for elemental identification and semi-quantitative analysis using an x-ray detector (EDS). Examples will be presented to demonstrate a range of surface analysis applications, from fundamental studies of biomaterials, to solving industrial problems. The power as well as the problems of data acquisition and interpretation will be highlighted with regards to each technique. Further, a comparison of all techniques will be made to help elucidate which method or methods are best for specific problems. Examples will include imaging the distribution of drug in a polymer coating (such as on stents), identifying contamination on medical devices (such as detergent residue on leads), evaluation of particles and defects, and characterization of surface chemical modification.