AVS 53rd International Symposium
    Exhibitor Workshop Tuesday Sessions
       Session EW-TuL

Paper EW-TuL6
K-Alpha, A New Approach to X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)

Tuesday, November 14, 2006, 2:00 pm, Room Exhibit Hall

Session: Exhibitor Workshop
Presenter: R.G. White, Thermo Electron Corporation, UK
Authors: J. Miller,
R.G. White, Thermo Electron Corporation, UK
Correspondent: Click to Email
X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) is a powerful surface analysis technique. It provides quantitative information about the elemental and chemical state composition of the first few monolayers of a material. When combined with ion beam sputtering, compositional depth profiles can be obtained from a few micrometers. The method has applications in many fields, including polymers, biomaterials, glasses, metals catalysts, and semiconductors. Until now, the instrumentation has been expensive to acquire and has needed an expert to determine the most appropriate analytical conditions. These two factors make the cost of ownership very high. Many scientists, who would benefit from this type of analysis, are deterred from using the technique. In this symposium, it will be shown that, by the use of modern manufacturing techniques, novel technology and advanced software design, XPS has become available to all analysts. High sensitivity combined with extensive automation maximises throughput. Automation in data processing and reporting allows the analyst to obtain maximum use of the instrument, avoiding the need for repetitive and time-consuming activities. XPS has become be a multi-user analytical method.