There have been many remarkable developments in characterization techniques in recent years. The relevance of some of the most important advances for nano-materials is discussed in this paper. Thus scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has a backscattered diffraction capability as well as improving (e.g. 1 nm) resolution. Focussed Ion Beam (FIB) instruments provide in-situ etching and deposition capability as well as ion and electron imaging. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) is approaching 0.1 nm image resolution, and 0.5-1.0 nm chemical mapping through energy-filtered imaging. Surface analysis techniques can also now provide elemental distributions at ever improving scales: about 10 nm resolution for Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), 50 nm resolution for Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) and 5-10 μm imaging for micro-X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Other techniques such as X-ray diffraction, optical and scanning probe microscopy would normally also be included in such a comprehensive, modern materials characterization facility.

Keywords: Characterization, electron microscopy, focussed ion beam, surface analysis, nano-materials