The surface and thin-film characterization facilities provide instrumentation for research into the properties of surfaces and interfaces and for routine or special-purpose surface and thin-film characterization. A range of state-of-the-art analytical equipment exists: a Phi Model 548 combination Auger/ESCA system, a Phi Model 5400 combination angle-resolved small area ESCA/ISS system, and a Phi Model 660 combination SAM/SIMS/RHEED system. Auger Electron Spectroscopy is used to identify surface constituents or to determine the composition of specific features. ESCA provides information on relative composition and oxidation state of surface elements on the outer few atomic layers of a sample. Essentially nondestructive, this technique is appropriate for delicate samples such as glasses, polymers, biomaterials, and semiconductors.

Because ISS is more sensitive to high-mass elements, the combination ESCA/ISS provides two complementary techniques for obtaining chemical surface composition in the high-mass range. The analysis area can be set at 0.2 mm, 0.66 mm, or 1 mm in diameter, or at 3 mm x 10 mm. The combination SAM/SIMS/RHEED analyzes the composition and crystal structure of the same sample area. The fine electron beam (~ 35 nm diameter) permits medium-to-high-resolution SEM modes to determine surface morphology. SIMS is a highly surface-sensitive technique. It is possible to detect H, positive ions or negative ions, or clusters up to mass 500. Used in conjunction with ion sputter-etching, the above techniques also permit depth-profiling to study composition as a function of depth.