Excellent

Satisfactory

Needs work

Surface analysis and surface science

Sensitivity as a function of spatial resolution

• Sensitivity of different techniques
• Strength of different techniques
• Physical limitation

• Number of atoms in solid

None of the above

Adsorption of molecules on surfaces

• Collision rate
• Thermal desorption techniques

• Mean free path

None of the above

Vacuum system

• Selection of vacuum components

• Category of vacuum pumps
• Vacuum gauges

None of the above

Surface crystallography

• Ten 2D point groups
• Seventeen 2D space groups

• Five 2D lattices
• Wood’s notation and matrix notation

None of the above

Ion Scattering Spectroscopy

Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS)

• Kinematic factor
• Central force scattering
• Depth profiling
• Quantitative analysis
• Structural effect on channeling

• Instrumentation
• Scattering cross-section
• Energy loss in solid
• Channeling

None of the above

Low Energy Ion Scattering (LEIS)

• Two-body scattering

• Elastic recoil detection analysis

None of the above

Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA)

• Depth profiling via resonance

• Nomenclature

None of the above

Ion beam techniques

Focused Ion Beam (FIB)

• Field evaporation
• Parameter for LMIS
• Ion-neutralization spectroscopy (INS)
• Focus of ion beam

• Liquid metal ion source (LMIS)
• Imaging, deposition, etching operation

None of the above

Field Emission Microscopy (FEM)
Field Ion Microscopy (FIM)

• Field emission
• Field ionization

• Application of Helium Ion Microscope (HIM)

None of the above

Atom Probe

• Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP)
• Sample preparation

• Field evaporation

None of the above

Sputtering

• Preferential sputtering
• Artifacts in sputter depth-profile

• Parameters that affect sputtering yield
• Cluster-ion sputtering

None of the above

Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS) and Secondary Neutral Mass Spectroscopy (SNMS)

• Mass resolution
• Effect of different primary beam
• Quantification and matrix effect
• Scanning Ion Microscope (SIM)

• Static and dynamic mode
• Instrumentation
• Gating
• Qualitative analysis
• Isotope operation
• Depth profile
• Post-ionization

None of the above

Photoemission Spectroscopy (PES)

X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)

• Pass energy and operation of analyzer
• Spectral features in XPS
• Final-state effect
• Chemical shift
• Quantitative analysis
• Angle-resolved XPS

• Photoelectric effect
• Instrumentation
• Definition of kinetic energy of photoelectron
• Sampling depth
• Position of Auger peak
• Qualitative analysis
• Depth profile

None of the above

Ultra-violet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS)

• Angle-resolved UPS
• Valance band spectrum

• Angle-integrated UPS
• Work function determination

None of the above

Inverted Photoelectron Spectroscopy (iPES)

• Conduction band spectrum

• Difference from PES

None of the above

Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM)

Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM)

• Constant-current mode
• Constant-height mode

• Tunneling
• Instrumentation
• Imaging of electron density

None of the above

Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy (STS)

• I(V) mode
• I(z) mode

• Polarity at tip

None of the above

Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)

• Static vs. dynamic
• Contact vs. non-contact
• Force curve
• Tapping operation
• Lift operation

• Instrumentation
• Constant height vs constant force
• Change in phase and amplitude
• Force Modulation Microscopy (FMM)

None of the above

Various modes of AFM

• Piezoresponse Force Microscopy (PFM)
• Scanning Capacitance Microscopy (SCM)
• Scanning Electrical Potential Microscopy (SEPM)
•  

• Electric Force Microscopy (EFM)
• Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM)
• Scanning Near-Field Optical Microscopy (SNOM)
• Lithography

None of the above

Instrumentation and operation considerations

• Feedback control

• Effect of probe
• Artifact of piezo scanner

None of the above

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)

General SEM

• Magnification and raster size
• Instrumentation
• Resolution limitation
• Operation modes for objective lens

• Signal generation
• Depth of focus
• Resolution vs, current
• Kinetic energy of electrons

None of the above

SE and BSE imaging

• Yield of SE and BSE
• Low-vacuum and environmental SEM
• Effect of instrumental parameters on the image
• Signal processing

• Classification of SE
• Contrast in SE and BSE imaging
• Operation of detectors

None of the above

Advanced operation

• Electron backscatter diffraction

• Channeling pattern
• EBIC
• CL

None of the above

Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES)
Scanning Auger Microscopy (SAM)

• Two-electron de-excitation
• Coster-Kronig transition
• Operation mode of energy analyzer
• Quantitative analysis

• Nomenclature
• Differential analysis
• Chemical shift
• Instrumentation
• Charge consideration
• Qualitative analysis
• Schemes of depth-profile

None of the above

Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) and Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE)

General

• Inner-shell ionization by electron or high-energy particle
• X-ray fluorescence yield
• Interaction volume (lateral and depth distribution)
• Effect of beam energy
• Quantitative analysis (ZAF correction)

• Characteristic x-ray and bremsstrahlung
• Selection rule of x-ray generation
• Qualitative analysis
• Accuracy of standard-less quantification
• X-ray imaging

None of the above

X-ray wavelength dispersive spectroscopy

• Selecting crystals for XWDS

• Fully focused x-ray spectrometer
• Maximizing signal intensity

None of the above

X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy

• Principle of Si(Li) and SDD
• Processing time and dead time ratio

• Principle of pulse processing
• Role of collimater
• Detection solid angle
• Energy resolution of XEDS
• Artifacts in XEDS

None of the above