Data management in multi-method surface analysis

The solution of the problem of interchangeability of surface analytical data is gaining increasing importance in multi-method surface analysis. There are various surface analytical instruments in different laboratories on several automation levels. For these instruments, which are controlled by computer systems working with proprietary software under various operating systems, a standardised data format is necessary to allow an exchange of data. Therefore, a toolkit has been developed for the transfer, archiving and editing of surface analytical data in a standardised public domain format. This format contains all available and necessary information on experimental conditions and all parameters specific for a number of analytical techniques such as AES, SAM, XPS, SIMS, STM, AFM and EPMA. Additionally, all data concerning the conditions of sample-preparation and measurement history are included in order to allow a well-founded evaluation of the data and improved reproducibility of the experiment.