XPS or ESCA Surface Analysis:
- Measures all elements except hydrogen and helium to a depth of about 20 nm
- Argon ion etching allows composition analysis to greater depths
- Analysis of the composition of ceramic precursor powders or particles
- Analysis of surface contamination of fired ceramics
- Check chemistry of binding agents to promote sintering
- Measure water content, impurities, and reacted layers on raw ceramic material particles
- Analysis of fracture surface chemistry to determine binder and pre-sintered particle surface chemistry effects on fracture plane
- Degradation effects upon ceramic such as caused by moisture on boron nitride (BN) or on alumina (Al2O3)
- Precise quantitative chemical phase identifications
- Measure changes in ceramic due to environment, such as leaching of elements, chemical uptake in the voids between poorly sintered particles, and reaction products
- Detect interparticle chemistries that may change insulation or RF response properties of the ceramic
Ceramic Analysis by XPS or ESCA Surface Analysis:
- Measures all elements except hydrogen and helium to a depth of about 20 nm
- Argon ion etching allows composition analysis to greater depths
- Analysis of the composition of ceramic precursor powders or particles
- Analysis of surface contamination of fired ceramics
- Check chemistry of binding agents to promote sintering
- Measure water content, impurities, and reacted layers on raw ceramic material particles
- Analysis of fracture surface chemistry to determine binder and pre-sintered particle surface chemistry effects on fracture plane
- Degradation effects upon ceramic such as caused by moisture on boron nitride (BN) or on alumina (Al2O3)
- Precise quantitative chemical phase identifications
- Measure changes in ceramic due to environment, such as leaching of elements, chemical uptake in the voids between poorly sintered particles, and reaction products
- Detect interparticle chemistries that may change insulation or RF response properties of the ceramic
Glass Analysis by XPS or ESCA Surface Analysis
- Quantitative elemental composition of a surface for all elements except hydrogen as-received or freshly fractured
- Surface chemistry after chemical exposure to treat surface for bonding or other surface treatment
- Silane coupling agent coverage on surface for adhesive bonding
- Anti-reflective coating analysis by depth profiling of elements
- Study leaching of glass which may leach Na, Ca, K, or B among other elements
- Measure profile of chemically-hardened glass such as potassium substitution for sodium
- Identify cause of etch-attack of glass
- Measure surface contamination
- Evaluate glass microspheres, frits, and fibers for adhesive bonding by examining for alkali surface chemistry
- Distinguish E and S fiberglass
- Characterize the chemistry of silicates and silica gels, which can be complex
- Analyze cause of failure of adhesive bonding
Composite Analysis by XPS or ESCA Surface Analysis:
- Polymer matrix composition with quantitative elemental and functional group chemical analysis
- Contamination on surface affecting adhesive bonding such as from mold release agents or short chain length airborne silicones
- Surface chemistry of fiberglass and fill particle materials affecting bonding or water release properties
- Identification and thickness measurement of silane coupling agents on additive surfaces
- Residue measurements and detection on extruded fibers of such compounds as calcium or zinc stearate
- Detection of sizing or sizing residues on fibers
- Identification of solid residue due to fill materials after TGA burn-off of polymer matrix
- Identification of E or S fiberglass after TGA burn-off of polymer matrix
- Surface chemistry of fibers, whiskers, or particles due to surface treatments such as cleaning, abrasion, plasma treating, environmental exposure, or degradation
- Interphase chemistry at interfaces where local compositions vary over 10 nm and even 1 micrometer scales in various cases compared to the bulk chemistry further away from the interface
Metal Analysis by XPS
- Surface contamination detection and identification
- Surface oxide chemistry
- Identification of corrosion products
- Measure Cr to Fe ratio in stainless steel surface oxides to check passivation effectiveness in the base metal, at a weld, and in the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ).
- Surface segregation of elements in alloys; carbon, sulfur, and phosphorus being examples in addition to metal elements
- Depth profile elemental analysis to measure graphitic carbon and carbide concentrations as a function of depth
- Determine the chemistry of anodized surfaces
- Determine cause of adhesive bond failures on metal surfaces
- Examine the surface chemistry of metal particles prior to sintering for powdered metallurgy
Mineral Inorganic Analysis by XPS
- Quantitative elemental analysis for all elements except hydrogen and helium to a depth of about 20 nm
- Particle surface chemistry complete with quantitative elemental composition and chemical phase analysis of multiple complex phases, see the example of a complex, 3-chemical phase feldspar
- Differentiate surface chemistry with interior chemistry by analyzing as-received materials compared to freshly ground particles of material, argon ion sputtered material, or material analysis by XRF or by FTIR
- Great sensitivity to a very thin surface chemistry affecting particle bonding in a polymer matrix or agglomeration control surface treatments
- Used to determine and measure the degree of surface hydration
- Used to identify fill materials added to polymers following burn-off of the resin by TGA or other means
- When the sample quantity is very limited, it can perform an analysis when XRF does not see enough material
Organic Analysis by XPS
- Examine filtered precipitates from organic liquids, determining the elemental composition and chemistry of the particle surfaces
- Examine residues of evaporated liquids and determine the elemental composition and chemical phases in the residues
Paper and Packaging Analysis by XPS
- Determine the surface elemental composition and surface chemistry
- Identify the causes for printing and collating problems
- Identify the causes for adhesive bonding problems
- Determine the chemical nature of stains or aging and degradation
- Analyze surface coatings and surface treatments
- Analyze materials adsorbed onto the surface (adsorbants)
- Identify surface brightening particles
- Identify and measure surface contaminants
- Identify lubricants and anti-static coating materials
- Analyze filler inorganic particles after combustion of paper/polymer
Plastic and Polymer Analysis by XPS
- Quantitative elemental and functional group chemical analysis of polymer surfaces
- Measurement of surface contamination including silicones
- Quantitative elemental & functional group analysis of surface treatments to affect such properties as coefficient of friction, dissipation of static charge, printability, changes due to sterilization or cleaning processes, adhesive bonding, friction bonding, reactivity, and degradation
- Identification of solid residue components due to fill materials after TGA burn-off of plastic, including borosilicate fiberglasses, silica, alumina, titanium dioxide, SiC, and minerals.
- Surface chemistry of fill materials prior to addition to polymer, which may affect resin wetting, agglomeration of particles, and migration to surfaces or interfaces
- Detection of components that segregate to the plastic surface, such as plasticizers, organic fire retardants, and fill particles with poor surface wetting properties
- Identify layer or interface of delamination or peeling and whether a contaminant is present there
- Investigate adhesive bonding failures due to surface segregation of plasticizer, inorganic fill particles such as talc, or migration of sodium from silica particle surfaces; or due to mold release agent or other contaminant; or due to stress in coating caused by internal layer contamination; or due to adhesive or primer degradation
- Polymer sealing problems
- Polyethylene fiber surface analysis with coating and after stripping the coating This is also an example of a report.
Semiconductor Analysis by XPS
- Depth profile MBE-deposited multi-layer structures on GaAs
- Determine stoichiometry of sputter-deposited or MOCVD materials, such as silicon nitride and titanium nitride films, which are usually really silicon oxynitride or titanium oxynitride films
- Determine cause of soldering, bond pad, and adhesive bond difficulties
- Identify photoresist or wax residues, contaminants, and surface segregated impurities
- Measure thickness and determine uniformity of oxides, nitrides, or other film layers
- Depth profile multifilm contact structures on silicon or GaAs wafers
- Determine composition of thermal compounds or adhesives
- Evaluate the cleanliness of ceramic or plastic packaging materials
- Evaluate PCB laminate interfaces and surface conformal coatings
- Measure contamination on alumina feedthroughs and solve brazing problems
- Determine composition of electroplated gold and other metals, particularly on surfaces to which impurities migrate
- Chemistry of polyimide coating surface and effects on outgassing
- Identity cause of metallization layer delamination
- Detect and identify contaminants on connectors on plastic, ceramic, or pins
- Determine the cause of high contact resistance, such as nickel migration through gold to form NiO on the surface of the gold
- Determine causes of corrosion
Services
Capabilities
XPS Surface Analysis Application Examples
- Detection and identification of surface contamination
- Failure analysis of adhesive bond failures to identify contamination, component ingredients migrated to the bonding interface, and bonding chemistry
- Highly sensitive and quantitative evaluation of facility silicone contamination using XPS analysis of exposed and returned test kit surfaces
- Identification of causes of corrosion or material degradation including conditions of very early initiation of corrosion
- Surface and near-surface characterizations of process-dependent material compositions
- Detection and identification of optical or abrasion resistant surface coatings and composition analysis to determine chemical stoichiometry
- Soldering, brazing, and welding problem resolution
- Polymer sealing problems
- Cause of intergranular failures in metal alloys
- Stoichiometry of deposited films or chemistry of reacted particle surfaces
- Materials surface composition changes due to chemical leaching, heating, radiation, or absorption
- Identification of unique surface phases of mineral level complexity common in inorganic materials, ceramics, glasses, and metal alloy oxides
- Interdiffusion and reactions at interfaces
- Evaluation of surface cleaning processes
- Medical device and prostheses wear, corrosion, brazing and welding, and contamination investigations
- Surface characterization while heating a material whose components react, outgas, or decompose with additional mass spectroscopy detection of vapor phases
- Semiconductor materials problems for epitaxial materials, bonding pads, barrier and oxide layers, see example of the surface chemistry analysis of an aged silicon oxynitride film
- Nanomaterials surface and interface characterizations
- Metal oxide composition as a function of depth, such as check for chromium enrichment in the surface oxide of stainless steels or to measure the degree of aluminum surface hydration
- Characterize optical coating multilayer structures, such as anti-reflective coatings
- Hard disk drive surface characterization
- Thin film delamination problems
- Environmental cleaning, scrubbing, and adsorbing media characterizations, such as smoke-stack scrubbing lime materials or activated carbon
- Protective coating problems due to mixing problems, segregation of component materials such as plasticizers, slip agents, or fire-retardant chemicals, environmental degradation, fill particle chemistry, and other problems often undertaken with other characterizations such as DSC, TMA, TGA, SEM/EDX, GC-MS, XRF, and optical microscopy
- Identification of fiberglass or other filler fiber and particle materials in plastics, pastes, and composite materials after the burn-off of the polymer matrix, commonly performed by TGA analysis
- Identify cause of adhesive failures at resin/fiber interfaces within fiberglass, carbon fiber, basalt fiber, silicon carbide or nitride or other reinforced composite materials
- Coating analysis, including surface chemistry difference from the bulk coating chemistry
- Chemical characterization of modified and treated surfaces, such as plasma treatments, acid etches and anodizations, and adhesion promoters such as silanes
- Determine bulk chemistry of minerals, ceramics, and glasses by examining freshly ground or fractured surfaces
- Identification of corrosion and wear deposits on hip and knee explants
- Identify the chemistry of gemstones
Case Histories
Industries
Analytical Services
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Engineering Materials, Chemicals, and Products Support Services |
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Sample Submission
1) Call or E-mail Us
Discuss your materials or analytical problem by phone or e-mail with one of our professional scientists/engineers so we can understand the nature of your problem and can work in partnership with you to develop a plan for analysis. We will provide quotes based on our agreed upon plan of analysis.
Rush Jobs: We often work extra hours to complete rush jobs for our customers, but our ability to accommodate rush jobs will depend on our capacity. Note that rush jobs typically incur higher fees, most commonly a 25 to 50% higher fee. The rush fee is dependent upon our overall workload, the availability of scientists, and the number of other expedited projects. Our rush fees are commonly lower than the 50% to 100% rush fees charged by many laboratories.
2) Obtain a PO / Provide Payment Info
Obtain a purchase order or provide us with credit card information to charge once the analysis is complete and has been reported to you. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express cards. We accept payments through Paypal also. Check payments should be sent to our laboratory address given in the heading of each of our website pages.
3) Fill out Sample Submission Form
Fill out a sample submission form or a chain of custody form or both. Return the form or forms to us by e-mail, fax, or send them with the samples to be analyzed. Please note that absolutely no DSC analysis will be performed without this form being completely filled out due to the sensitivity of the DSC to corrosive attack. If your material may be corrosive, we must be informed of this or authorized to perform other analyses to determine for ourselves whether your samples are corrosive. DSC analysis is performed at your risk for DSC cell replacement if you claim your material is not corrosive and that proves false.
4) Select and Send Samples
Proper sample selection and handling is critical to ensuring the integrity and accuracy of results, as well as for preventing any delays or rework. Please see our sample selection and handling guide for guidance on important factors to consider. Samples should be sent to our laboratory address, which is given on every one of our web pages.
Quality
Quality and Our Mission
XPS Research Institute offers a broad spectrum of materials analytical services to help its customers shoulder the burdens of materials development and characterization, process and product development, quality control, and failure analysis. We also provide research, consultative, and expert witness services. Each project is managed by one of our four Ph.D. scientists and personally examined for quality by this exceptionally well-trained, highly intelligent, and experienced scientist.
We collaborate with our clients to help develop goal-directed solutions to their metal, semiconductor, glass, polymer, inorganic and organic chemical, ceramic, composite, mineral, and contaminant material problems. We perform requested analyses, but we very commonly design a custom analytical approach to provide the material understanding needed. To do this we must discuss the background of the problem, define the tasks necessary to address the problem, provide the needed analysis or analyses, and discuss the solution pathway elucidated by the analytical results obtained. After solving or better identifying the problem, we may suggest further R & D and quality control analyses for greater benefits. Our primary service is not simply a measurement. It is materials understanding for your applications and purposes.
We document our materials investigations with thorough written reports to ensure that clients can fully understand and independently examine the analytical results and conclusions. This establishes a documented history for future process and product development and control issues. Such problems that arise in production often have a tendency to reoccur, so it is important that they be documented and archived. Our reports establish the nature of the material investigated, which may differ from other materials commonly thought to be the same or similar in ways which may be critical for certain applications and use environments. Our reports provide materials characterizations which should be a part of a good quality control system for materials used for production and in final products. A good quality control system matches materials characterizations with product efficacy and materials failures. When no known product or materials problems exist, our materials characterizations can provide a baseline for a problem-free material against which materials characterization changes during failures and other problems can be later compared.
Our efforts to efficaciously address materials characterizations and problem solving activities achieve high quality when we have provided the needed understanding of the materials problem we have been called upon to address at a rational cost and in a timely manner. It has to be remembered at all times that further analysis and effort in understanding a material will generally lead to further understanding. Quality analysis is not equivalent to a perfect understanding of a material, because the client has only limited money and time to provide us for the purpose of characterizing and understanding a material. High quality is achieved when the level of understanding of a material is rationally balanced with the resources made available by the client for a given materials investigation.
Our XPS surface analysis, and optical microscopy measurement capabilities give us powerful tools to apply to a client’s materials and process evaluations. We frequently apply these techniques in combinations and in unusual ways to solve materials problems. Quality is not a matter of establishing routines and cookbook recipes. It is achieved in this laboratory by a constant effort to understand our instruments, the many methods of their use, the likely and reasonable properties of materials, a constantly probing mind keenly observing both expected results and anomalous results, and above all the wise interpretation of data to produce materials understanding. Anomalous results must be examined to be sure they are truly due to unusual material properties or because the material is chemically different than we were told it would be, rather than due to instrument malfunction or uncalibrated behavior. Of course we deal constantly with known materials and in such cases the measurements make us aware of any anomalous need for recalibration or repair of our instruments.
Materials are very complex and there are many tens of thousands of applied materials. They are processed in myriad ways, used in innumerable applications, and in an infinite number of environments, with varied histories. Quality materials understanding is primarily achieved by years of experience spent studying materials with keen observation, a questing, experimental mind, constant, critical evaluations of laboratory results, the development of in-house analytical techniques, discussions with our XRI colleagues, client-supplied information, and research information gathered from published sources and the Internet.
Who is Responsible for Quality at XPS Research Institute?
Every employee of the company is responsible. Very little of our work is susceptible to a simple recipe description. All of our work requires the focused attention and rational thought of our employees. Each employee is encouraged to use every resource we have available to become a better scientist. We only hire Ph.D. scientists because we require that our staff be highly intelligent and continuous learners on their own initiative. If you need help with any issue that affects the quality of our work, please discuss it with either of the company owners:
Here is our complete AME Quality Manual. We have not played the accreditation game, which is designed for laboratories with employees with weaker scientific training and little more than routine analyses to perform. Instead, we offer you thinking and experienced professional scientists who are passionately dedicated to do their work with careful observation, rational insight, and the determination to solve your materials problems.