Metals

Metals are versatile components of modern technical products. They are for example used as metal sheets or in further improved form in the construction of car bodies. Deposited in thin layers, they are also utilised in the processing of glasses, in semiconductor industry, electronics or in life sciences. The analytical issues range from the characterisation of adsorbed materials via layer elucidation of multilayer metal oxide systems to the investigation of grain boundaries. Other typical analytical issues are:

  • Identification of residues in the rolling process
  • Identification of adsorbates and trace impurities
  • Diffusion along grain boundaries
  • Corrosion of metal layers
  • Analysis of surface topography
  • Determination of layer thickness
  • Determination of the oxidation state
  • Identification of material inclusions
  • Discolourations
  • ...

Case Studies