PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY UNDER EXTREME CONDITIONS: NEAR AMBIENT PRESSURE XPS SOLUTIONS

After an introduction to Photoelectron Spectroscopy - a powerful Surface Science technique - most recent advances of the method under extreme conditions will be presented.

Modern devices are often only functional in environments far away from ultrahigh vacuum, still being the standard operation condition for all Surface Science techniques. In parallel the importance of surfaces for the correct device operation is continuously increasing due to miniaturization down to the nanoscale. To contribute to advanced materials analysis in future means using Photoelectron Spectroscopy and related techniques in generic or near generic device environments. This means high, elevated or near ambient pressures of defined working gas mixtures, liquid media, potentials or magnetic fields applied. Also extremely low or high temperatures might be necessary. In the past all standard Surface Science Techniques did not work under these extreme environments. As a route to in situ sample analysis Near Ambient Pressure XPS has already been used for a longer time with tremendous success. Nowadays steps are made to utilize this analysis technique not only at synchrotrons and in academic environments, but also as a standard analysis tool in user friendly laboratory systems. This work summarizes and presents existing solutions and future development routes to new instruments and materials analysis methods being functional under these working conditions. Opportunities and limits will be discussed from the perspective of a supplier of scientific instruments.

Applications, examples and results from existing In situ methods like high pressure treatments cells, complete High Pressure or Near Ambient Pressure Photoelectron (NAP-PES), liquid and electrochemical cells, Liquid sample “manipulators“, and concepts and status of equipment working in highest or lowest temperatures, and static or dynamic potentials will be demonstrated.

Finally, a revolutionary system concept, the EnviroESCA will be presented. Based on the extensive experience in the regime of Near Ambient Pressure, SPECS Surface Nano Analysis GmbH has developed this fully automated tool, allowing high-throughput NAP-XPS analysis and opening up new applications in the field of medical technology, biotechnology and life sciences at pressures far above UHV.