SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS, VOL.

25, 860È868 (1997)

Development of Standards for Surface Analysis by

ISO Technical Committee 201 on Surface
Chemical Analysis

C. J. Powell1 and R. Shimizu2

1 Surface and Microanalysis Science Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899,
USA
2 Department of Applied Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565, Japan

A summary is given of the organization and work of Technical Committee 201 on Surface Chemical Analysis of
the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Twelve potential international standards are currently in
various stages of development and a further thirteen standards are expected to be developed shortly. Information is
also given on expected future needs for standards with examples from a recent survey of experts in Auger electron
spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. ( 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Surf. Interface Anal. 25, 860È868 (1997) No. of Figures : 0 No. of Tables : 14 No. of References : 10
KEYWORDS : ISO/TC 201 on Surface Chemical Analysis ; standards ; surface analysis

INTRODUCTION tion on the status of particular documents can be

The International Organization for Standardization
(ISO) formed Technical Committee (TC) 201 on Surface
Chemical Analysis in November 1991. The Ðrst meeting
of ISO/TC 201 took place in Tokyo, Japan in July 1992,
at which the overall purpose and structure of the new
committee were discussed and appropriate areas of
work were identiÐed.1 Formal ballots were later con-
ducted that led to the creation of seven subcommittees
and two working groups of the main committee.1,2
The main committee and the seven subcommittees
have subsequently met on an annual basis to begin the
work of preparing and reviewing proposed international
standards for surface analysis. The seven subcommittees
have each established one or more working groups, and
a total of 15 working groups are now active.
This article contains information on the purpose of
ISO/TC 201 and gives a summary of the organization
of ISO/TC 201 and its subcommittees because a
number of changes have occurred following publication
of the previous status report.2 Information is also given
on the ISO process for proposing and reviewing stan-
dards, the standards currently under development, and
the standards proposed for consideration. Finally, some
comments are made on the future needs for standards
and, as an example, results are given of a recent survey
to establish standards needs and priorities for Auger
electron spectroscopy (AES) and x-ray photoelectron
spectroscopy (XPS).
General information on ISO/TC 201 can be obtained
from the committee secretariat3 and speciÐc informa-
* Correspondence to : C. J. Powell, Surface and Microanalysis
Science Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology,
Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
CCC 0142È2421/97/011860È00 $17.50
( 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
obtained from the secretaries of the subcommittees
listed in Table 1 or from the conveners of the working
groups listed in Tables 3È10 below.
PURPOSE OF ISO/TC 201
Surface analysis is in widespread use for the solution of
a wide range of scientiÐc and technical problems.
Despite the many successes, a number of factors such as
limitations in current methodology and reference data,
possible artefacts, and complexities in equipment oper-
ation can limit the efficiency of analytical measurements
and can lead to substantial uncertainties in the analyti-
cal results.4
Recommended procedures, reference data, and refer-
ence materials are needed to ensure that surface
analyses can be made with the needed reliability and
efficiency. Standards (i.e. recommended procedures) also
provide a convenient means of documenting confor-
mance to quality management systems such as the ISO
9000 series that are now being adopted by many com-
panies and organizations. Finally, standards can be
useful in assisting testing laboratories to gain accredita-
tion.
Seah5 has pointed out that standards provide a
means of distilling the expertise of many scientists so
that analysts can make their measurements more e†ec-
tively. In order to ensure that standards are useful, are
cost e†ective, and do not inhibit the development of
technology, Spanner6 has recommended that standards
be developed only when there is a sufficient industrial
need, when an adequate knowledge base is available,
when the standardization group has a balanced repre-
sentation of users and suppliers, and when the interests
of the user are paramount.
Received 24 March 1997
Accepted 13 May 1997
 STANDARDS FOR SURFACE ANALYSIS 861

CURRENT ORGANIZATION OF ISO/TC 201
According to ISO Directives,7 all national member
bodies (i.e. standards organizations) have the right to
participate in the work of ISO technical committees and
subcommittees. There are two types of membership.
The Ðrst type of membership (P-members) refers to
members who intend to participate actively in the work ;
these members have an obligation to vote on proposed
international standards at various stages of the ballot
process and, whenever possible, to participate in meet-
ings. The second type of membership (O-members)
refers to members who intend to follow the work as
observers ; they receive documents from committees or
subcommittees and have the right to submit comments
and to attend meetings.
Table 1 identiÐes the seven ISO/TC 201 subcommit-
tees and their current chairpersons and secretaries.
Information on the scope of each subcommittee has
been published previously.1 The scope of ISO/TC 201
has been revised slightly to read : Standardization in the
Ðeld of surface chemical analysis in which beams of elec-
trons, ions, neutral atoms or molecules, or photons are
incident on the specimen material and scattered or
emitted electrons, ions, neutral atoms or molecules, or
photons are detected.
Table 2 shows the membership of national standards
bodies in ISO/TC 201 and its subcommittees (as of
April 1997). As can be seen, a member of ISO/TC 201
can choose to become a P-member or an O-member of
a subcommittee independent of their membership status
on the main committee ; they can also choose not to
become members of ISO/TC 201 subcommittees.
The ISO/TC 201 has established formal liaison with
ISO/TC 202 on Microbeam Analysis and with three
international organizations. According to ISO pro-
cedures,7 so-called category-A liaison can be established
with other international organizations that make an
e†ective contribution to the work of a technical com-
mittee or subcommittee ; such organizations are sent
copies of all relevant documentation and are invited to
meetings. The ISO/TC 201 and its seven subcommittees
have established category-A liaisons with : the Interna-
tional Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
(involving Commission I.6 on Colloid and Surface
Chemistry including Catalysis) ; the International Union
of Vacuum Science, Technique and Applications
(IUVSTA) (involving the Applied Surface Science
Division) ; and the Versailles Project on Advanced
Materials and Standards (VAMAS) (involving Techni-
cal Working Area 2 on Surface Chemical Analysis8).
These liaisons are useful in that they facilitate dissemi-
nation of information of mutual interest, they permit

Table 1. Subcommittees of ISO/TC 201 and their chairpersons and secretaries

SC1 : Terminology
Chairperson : Dr M. P. Seah, Centre for Materials Measurement & Technology, National
Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, UK
Secretary : Vacant
SC2 : General Procedures
Chairperson : Dr W. F. Stickle, Hewlett Packard, 1000 Northeast Circle Blvd.,
Corvallis, OR 97330-4239, USA
Secretary : Ms M. L. Mellard, Hewlett Packard, 1000 Northeast Circle Blvd.,
Corvallis, OR 97330-4239, USA
SC3 : Data Management and Treatment
Chairperson : Dr D. E. Sykes, Institute of Surface Science and Technology,
Loughborough University of Technology, Loughborough, Leicestershire
LE11 3TU, UK
Secretary : Dr A. F. Carley, Department of Chemistry, University of Wales,
PO Box 912, Cardiff CF1 3TB, UK

SC4 : Depth Profiling

Chairperson : Professor S. Hofmann, National Research Institute for Metals, 1-2-1 Sengen,
Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, Japan
Secretary : Mr J. Tokita, Japanese Standards Association, 3-11-15 Akasaka,
Minato-ku, Tokyo 107, Japan
SC5 : Auger Electron Spectroscopy
Chairperson : Dr D. R. Baer, Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories, MS K8-93,
PO Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, USA
Secretary : Dr R. E. Davis, IBM Corporation, Z/40E, Route 52, Hopewell Junction, NY 12533, USA

SC6 : Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Chairperson : Dr K. Tsunoyama, Iron and Steel Research Laboratory, Kawasaki Steel Corporation,
Kawasakidori 1-chome, Mizushima, Kurashiki 712, Japan
Secretary : Mr T. Oda, New Materials Center, Osaka Science and Technology Center,
1-8-4 Utsubohonmachi Nishi-ku, Osaka 550, Japan

SC7 : X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Chairperson : Dr J. F. Watts, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Surrey, Guildford,
Surrey GU2 5XH, UK
Secretary : Dr R. K. Wild, Interface Analysis Center, University of Bristol,
121 St. Michaels Hill, Bristol BS2 8BS, UK

( 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS, VOL. 25, 860È868 (1997)
862 C. J. POWELL AND R. SHIMIZU

Table 2. Membership of national standards bodies for the indicated countries in ISO/TC 201 and its
subcommittiees (as of April 1997)
Membershipa
Country TC 201 SC1 SC2 SC3 SC4 SC5 SC6 SC7

Australia O O O O O O O O
Austria P O O O O O O O
Belgium O O O O O O O O
China P O P – – O P –
Egypt O – – – – – – –
Finland O – – – O – – –
France O O O O O O O O
Germany O O O O O O O O
Hungary O P P P P P O P
India O O O O O O O O
Ireland O – – – – – – –
Italy P O O O O O O O
Japan P P P P P P P P
Korea, Rep. of P O O P P P P P
Norway O O O O O O O O
Philippines O O O O O O O O
Poland O P – – – P O P
Romania O – – – – – – –
Russian Federation P P – – P P P P
Singapore O O O O O O O O
Slovenia P – – – – – – –
South Africa O O O O O O O O
Sweden P O – – O O – P
Switzerland P P – P P O – O
Turkey O – – – – – – –
UK P P P P P P P P
USA P P P P P P P P
a P ¼ P-member ; O ¼ O-member.

the other organizations to submit proposals and draft tries that are not P-members of the committee or sub-
documents for consideration as possible international committees, and they allow (particularly in the case of
standards, they facilitate participation in the work of the VAMAS group) organization of pre-standards col-
ISO/TC 201 and its subcommittees by experts in coun- laborative studies (e.g. scientiÐc investigations, materials

Table 3. Working groups of ISO/TC 201

WG1 : Glow Discharge Spectrometry

Purpose : Standardization of methods for instrument specification, instrument operation,
data acquisition, data processing, qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis in
the use of glow discharge optical spectroscopy and glow discharge mass
spectrometry for surface chemical analysis
Convener : Dr A. Bengtson, Instituet for Metallforskning, Drottning Kristinas vaŽ g 48, S-114 28, Stockholm,
Sweden

WG2 : Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Purpose : Standardization of methods for instrument specification, instrument
operation, data acquisition, data processing, qualitative analysis and
quantitative analysis in the use of total reflection x-ray fluorescence
spectroscopy for surface chemical analysis
Convener : Professor Y. Gohshi, Department of Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of
Engineering, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113, Japan

Table 4. Working group of ISO/TC 201/SC1 : Terminology

WG2 : Definitions of Terms

Purpose : To provide definitions of terms useful for surface chemical analysis
Convener : Dr M. P. Seah, Centre for Materials Measurement & Technology, National
Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, UK

SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS, VOL. 25, 860È868 (1997) ( 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
 STANDARDS FOR SURFACE ANALYSIS 863

Table 5 : Working groups of ISO/TC 201/SC2 : General Procedures

WG1 : Specimen Handling

Purpose : (1) To review the need for standards for specifying aspects of specimen
handling ranging from specimen generation to archiving or disposal ; (2) to
review ASTM E 1078-90, Standard Guide for Specimen Handling in Auger
Electron Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Secondary Ion
Mass Spectroscopy, and other relevant documents as starting points for
standards on specimen handling
Convener : Dr W. F. Stickle, Hewlett Packard, 1000 Northeast Circle Blvd.,
Corvallis, OR 97330-4239, USA
WG2 : Reference Materials
Purpose : (1) To survey what reference materials are available for specific applications ; (2)
to identify what reference materials are required but are not available ; (3) to
specific criteria for ion-implanted reference materials including the specifications
for Faraday cups
Convener : Dr W. H. Gries, Technologiezentrum, Deutsche Telekom AG, PO Box
100003, D-64276 Darmstadt, Germany

WG3 : Reporting Results

Purpose : To develop standards for reporting results in surface chemical analysis. The
working group will refer to ASTM documents E 996-89 (Standard Practice for
Reporting Data in Auger Electron Spectroscopy) and E 1015-90 (Standard
Practice for Reporting Spectra in X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy),
and other documents as starting points for
standards
Convener : Dr R. H. Bradley, Loughborough University of Technology, Loughborough, Leicestershire
LE11 3TU, UK

and instrument characterizations, and interlaboratory
comparisons) that cannot normally be performed by an
ISO committee or subcommittee.
The ISO technical committees and subcommittees
may establish working groups for speciÐed tasks. A
working group reports to its parent committee or sub-
committee through a convener. According to ISO
Directives,7 a working group is made up of a restricted
number of experts who serve in a personal capacity and
not as official representatives of the P-member or
category-A liaison organization by which they were
appointed.

Table 6. Working groups of ISO/TC 201/SC3 : Data Management and Treatment

WG1 : Data Transfer and Storage

Purpose : To consider the VAMAS Standard Data Transfer Format in relation to
processing and storing
Convener : Dr M. P. Seah, Centre for Materials Measurement & Technology, National
Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, UK
WG2 : Surface Science Data Models
Purpose : To develop a standard data model, including a data class
structure, for computerizing surface science data
Convener : Dr S. W. Gaarenstroom, Analytical Chemistry Department, General Motors
R & D Center, 30500 Mound Road, Warren, MI 48090-9055, USA

Table 7. Working groups of ISO/TC 201/SC4 : Depth ProÐling

WG1 : Definitions and Procedures

Purpose : To consider existing standards for depth profiling and to develop new standard
procedures as necessary
Convener : Professor S. Hofmann, National Research Institute for Metals, 1-2-1 Sengen,
Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305, Japan

WG2 : Reference Materials

Purpose : To review existing materials for depth profiling and those under development
and to consider their suitability for specific applications
Convener : Dr K. Kajiwara, Sony Corporation Research Center, 134 Goudo-cho,
Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa 240, Japan

( 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS, VOL. 25, 860È868 (1997)
864 C. J. POWELL AND R. SHIMIZU

Table 8. Working Group established by ISO/TC 201/SC5 : Auger Electron Spectroscopy

WG1 : Procedures for Quantification (joint with SC7)

Purpose : To review and develop procedures for quantification
Convener : Dr C. R. Anderson, Anderson Materials Evaluation, Inc., 1450 S. Rolling
Road, Baltimore, MD 21227-3898, USA

Table 9. Working Groups established by ISO/TC 201/SC6 : Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

WG1 : Quantification of B in Si
Purpose : To consider the draft new work item, Surface Chemical Analysis—
Determination of B Content in Silicon—Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometric
Method, ASTM documents for quantifying boron in silicon, the NIST Standard
Reference Material 2137 (Boron Implant in Silicon Standard for Calibration of
Concentration in a Depth Profile), and any other appropriate items
Convener : Dr Y. Homma, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation,
Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory, 9-11 Midori-cho, 3-chome, Musashino-
shi, Tokyo 180, Japan
WG2 : Documentary Standards
Purpose : To consider relevant ASTM and other documentary standards
Convener : Dr D. S. Simons, Surface and Microanalysis Science Division, National
Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA

Tables 3È10 show the working groups of ISO/TC 201
and its subcommittees together with their purposes and
conveners. Since publication of our previous status
report,2 two working groups have been disbanded and
two new working groups have been created.
STANDARDS UNDER DEVELOPMENT BY
ISO/TC 201
The main purpose of an ISO technical committee or
subcommittee is the development and systematic review
Table 10. Working Groups established by ISO/TC 201/SC7 : X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
of international standards.7 According to ISO pro-
cedures, each international standard (a project) is devel-
oped through a sequence of stages, as summarized in
Table 11.7 Detailed protocols exist for the adoption of
new work-item proposals (NP, stage 1) by a technical
committee or subcommittee, the preparation of working
drafts (WD, stage 2) usually by specialist working
groups, the review of committee drafts (CD, stage 3) by
P-members (who are expected to vote) and O-members
of the relevant technical committee or subcommittee,
the ballot of draft international standards (DIS, stage 4)
by P-member and O-member bodies of the technical
committee or subcommittee, and the review of Ðnal draft

WG1 : Instrument Specification and Operation (joint with SC5)

Purpose : To review and propose methods for instrument specifications and to
review and develop criteria for instrument operation
Convener : Dr J. F. Watts, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XH, UK

WG2 : Energy Scale Calibration (joint with SC5)

Purpose : To develop new work items and provide procedures to calibrate the energy
scales in x-ray photoelectron and Auger electron spectroscopy instruments
Convener : Dr M. P. Seah, Centre for Materials Measurement & Technology, National
Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, UK

Table 11. Sequence of project stages and associated documents for the development of ISO standards
(Ref. 7)
Associated document
Project stage Name Abbreviation

0 Preliminary Stage Preliminary Work Item PWI

1 Proposal Stage New Work Item Proposal NP
2 Preparatory Stage Working Draft(s) WD
3 Committee Stage Committee Draft(s) CD
4 Enquiry Stage Enquiry Draft or Draft International Standard DIS
5 Approval Stage Final Draft International Standard FDIS
6 Publication Stage International Standard ISO

SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS, VOL. 25, 860È868 (1997) ( 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
 STANDARDS FOR SURFACE ANALYSIS 865

Table 12. Standards under development by ISO/TC 201 (as of July 1997)
Working Registration
group number Title

TC 201/WG1 CD 14707 Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectrometry (GDOES)

–Introduction for Use
TC 201/WG2 CD 14706 Surface Chemical Analysis–Measurement of Surface Elemental
Contamination on Silicon Wafers by Total Reflection X-ray
Fluorescence Spectroscopy (TXRF)
SC3/WG1 CD 14975 Surface Chemical Analysis–Data Information Formats
FDIS 14976 Surface Chemical Analysis–Data Transfer Format
SC3/WG2 NP 15760 A Data Dictionary for the Description of X-ray Photoelectron
and Auger Electron Spectroscopy Data Records
SC4/WG1 NPa Surface Chemical Analysis–Depth Profiling
–Measurement of Sputtered Depth
SC4/WG2 CD 14606 Surface Chemical Analysis–Sputter Depth Profiling
–Optimization Using Superlattices and other Multilayered
Systems as Reference Materials
SC4/WG2 NPa Surface Chemical Analysis–Sputter Depth Profiling
–Optimization using Single Layer Films on a Substrate as Reference Materials
SC6/WG2 CD 14237 Surface Chemical Analysis–Secondary Depth Profiling
–Determination of Boron Content in Silicon Using
Uniformly Doped Materials
SC7/WG1 CD 15470 Surface Chemical Analysis–X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
–Guide to Instrument Performance Specification
CD 15471 Surface Chemical Analysis–Auger Electron Spectroscopy
–Guide to Instrument Performance Specification
SC7/WG2 WD 15472 Surface Chemical Analysis–X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometers
–Calibration of Energy Scales
a Official ISO registration number yet to be assigned

international standards (FDIS, stage 5) by all member
bodies prior to publication as ISO standards (stage 6).7
Formal ballots must be taken during stages 1, 3, 4,
and 5 and speciÐed requirements must be met for a
project to advance to the next stage.7 Acceptance of a
new work-item proposal requires approval by a simple
majority of the P-members of the technical committee
or subcommittee voting and usually a commitment by
at least Ðve members approving the work item to par-
ticipate actively in the development of the project. At
stage 3, technical committees and subcommittees are
urged to prepare committee drafts on the basis of con-
sensus. If consensus cannot be achieved, approval by a
two-thirds majority of the P-members of the technical
committee or subcommittee voting is considered suffi-
cient for the adoption of a committee draft ; every

Table 13. Titles of proposed standards under consideration by ISO/TC 201 (stage 0)
Working group Title

TC 201/WG1 Procedures for the Determination of Thickness and Elemental Composition by

Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy of Zinc-based Metallic Coatings
TC 201/WG2 Procedure for Quantification of Reference Material for Use in Total X-ray
Fluorescence Spectroscopy
SC1/WG2 Surface Chemical Analysis–Terminology
SC2/WG1 Specimen Handling and Preparation for Auger Electron Spectroscopy, X-ray
Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
Specimen Preparation, Mounting and Analysis for Auger Electron Spectroscopy,
X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
SC2/WG2 Procedure for Certifying the Dose Density of Ion-implanted Reference Materials
for Analysis of Semiconductor Wafers
Ion-implanted Dosimetry Calibration by Surface Analytical Techniques
SC2/WG3 Reporting of Surface Analytical Data :
(i) X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Spectra
(ii) Auger Electron Spectroscopy Spectra
(iii) Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry and
SC5/WG1 Surface Chemical Analysis–Auger Electron Spectroscopy and X-ray
Photoelectron Spectroscopy–Peak Intensity Determination
Surface Chemical Analysis–Auger Electron Spectroscopy and X-ray
Photoelectron Spectroscopy–Guide to the Use of Experimental Relative
Sensitivity Factors for the Quantitative Analysis of Homogeneous Materials
SC6/WG2 Surface Chemical Analysis–Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry–Determining
Relative Sensitivity Factors from Ion-implanted Reference Materials
Reporting Sputter Depth Profile Data from Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry
Reporting Mass Spectral Data from Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

( 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS, VOL. 25, 860È868 (1997)
866 C. J. POWELL AND R. SHIMIZU

Table 14. Standards needs for Auger Electron Spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (Ref. 10)
Rank Description Need Feasibility Total

1 Procedure for calibration of binding energy scale in XPS 4.4 4.3 6.5
2 Procedure for determining peak areas to perform 4.6 3.7 6.4
quantitative analysis by XPS
3 Procedure for AES and XPS quantification based upon 4.4 3.9 6.3
elemental sensitivity factors derived from reference materials
4 Procedure for calibration of kinetic energy scale in AES 4.2 4.1 6.2
5 Procedure for determining peak-to-peak heights in AES 4.1 3.7 6.0
recorded in differential mode
6 Procedure for determining background in AES and XPS 4.1 3.3 5.7
7 Procedure for determining peak areas to perform quantitative 4.1 3.0 5.6
analyses by AES
8 Standard method for measuring energy resolution in AES 3.8 3.5 5.5
and XPS
9 Standard method for defining area of analysis in XPS 3.9 3.1 5.4
9 Standard methods for measuring sensitivity in AES and XPS 3.7 3.3 5.4
10 Standard method for determining electron beam size in AES 3.8 3.1 5.3
10 Procedure for preparation of reference materials for 3.7 3.1 5.3
determining sensitivity factors
10 Guide to extracting chemical state information 3.7 3.1 5.3
11 Procedure for calibration of intensity scale in AES 3.7 3.1 5.2
11 Procedure for calibration of intensity scale in XPS 3.7 3.1 5.2
11 Procedure to determine stability of intensity scale with time 3.5 3.4 5.2
11 Procedure for measuring beam currents 3.1 4.0 5.2
12 Guide to smoothing data 3.2 3.7 5.1
12 Procedures for locating peaks in XPS and AES 3.3 3.6 5.1
13 Guide to specimen degradation during XPS and AES analysis 3.7 2.7 5.0
13 Standard method(s) for measuring signal-to-noise ratio in AES 3.3 3.4 5.0
13 Procedure for deconvolution of peaks 3.4 3.1 5.0
14 Guide for peak synthesis and fitting spectra 3.3 3.3 4.9
15 Procedure for establishing detector linearity, dead time of 3.3 3.0 4.8
counting system
15 Procedure for defining signal-to-noise ratio in AES and XPS 3.1 3.5 4.8
15 Standard method(s) for measuring signal-to-noise ratio in XPS 3.1 3.4 4.8
16 Procedure for AES backscattering corrections 3.2 2.9 4.7
16 Procedure for determining effective attenuation lengths 3.4 2.6 4.7
17 Procedure for predicting differential sputtering effects 3.5 1.8 4.4
17 Standard methods for linescan and map measurements in AES 2.8 3.2 4.4
18 Guide to setting detectors 2.9 2.9 4.3
18 Guide to factor analysis 2.7 3.2 4.3
18 Guide to trade-offs between beam size and beam intensity 3.0 2.7 4.3
18 Minimization of charging artefacts in XPS and AES analyses 3.3 2.0 4.3
of insulatorsa
19 Procedure for making matrix corrections in AES 2.9 2.3 4.0
19 Procedure for making matrix corrections in XPS 2.9 2.3 4.0
20 Procedure for AES and XPS quantification based on first 2.9 2.0 3.9
principles
21 Procedures for identifying different specimen morphologies 2.6 2.3 3.8
22 Procedure to determine roughness effects (total 2.6 2.1 3.7
signal and relative peak areas for one specimen)
a The low rating for this task is believed to result from a poor phrasing of the task in the survey.

attempt shall be made, however, to resolve negative
votes. At stages 4 and 5, a DIS or FDIS is approved if a
two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the P-members
of the technical committee or subcommittee are in favor
and if not more than one-quarter of the total number of
votes cast are negative. Technical comments made on
CD and DIS documents during the ballots of stages 3
and 4 have to be compiled and circulated ; these com-
ments may then lead to the preparation of new drafts
and to new ballots to complete stage 3 or stage 4. While
these balloting and approval procedures may appear
cumbersome, they ensure that the views of each nation-
al body are considered. Time limits have been estab-
SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS, VOL. 25, 860È868 (1997)
lished for each stage, however, so that the work can
move forward in a reasonably timely and cost-e†ective
manner.
Table 12 lists the standards currently under develop-
ment by ISO/TC 201. The official ISO registration
number contains letters representing the stage of the
document (Table 11) and a number unique to that stan-
dard. At the time of writing, twelve standards are at
various stages of development in the ISO review
process.
Table 13 shows the titles of proposed standards that
are under consideration by ISO/TC 201. These prelimi-
nary proposals correspond to stage 0 in Table 11.
( 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
 STANDARDS FOR SURFACE ANALYSIS
Drafts for some of these proposed standards have
already been prepared prior to formal ballot as new
work-item proposals. It is therefore likely that an addi-
tional thirteen standards will be developed shortly.
FUTURE OUTLOOK FOR ISO/TC 201
The ISO/TC 201 recently adopted an updated Strategic
Policy Statement (required for all ISO technical
committees) that contains the following remarks about
expected trends in surface chemical analysis and the
expected need for additional standards :9
High spatial resolution (both parallel and normal to the
surface) is required for the analysis of many industrial
products and materials. Semiconductor devices, for
example, are being produced with smaller dimensions.
New classes of materials (e.g. composites) and devices (e.g.
sensors) are being developed in which a surface or inter-
face chemical composition needs to be controlled to meet
various industrial needs. Nanotechnology (in which
devices are fabricated on the nanometer scale) is of
growing importance. Other industrial applications in
which surface chemical analysis is now utilized, particu-
larly in the polymers, ceramics, metallurgy, composites,
adhesion, tribology, wear, corrosion, thin Ðlms and coat-
ings, implant materials, catalysis, microelectronics, and
superconductors sectors, continue to grow.
T here is an increasing need for more detailed and more
reliable qualitative surface analyses (for example, the
identiÐcation of chemical phases present at surfaces and
interfaces). T here is also an increasing need for quantitat-
ive surface analyses with improved accuracy.
Commercial instruments for surface chemical analysis
are now being supplied with increasingly powerful com-
puter systems and software. As a result, there are needs to
validate and extend new and existing algorithms used for
the processing of measured data. Databases are becoming
available, but the accuracy of the data in them needs to be
assured.
Recommended procedures, reference data, and reference
materials will be used to an increasing extent to ensure
that surface chemical analyses can be made with the
needed reliability and efficiency. International standards
will also provide a convenient and efficient means of docu-
menting conformance to quality management systems.
The chairman of ISO/TC 201/SC5 on Auger Electron
Spectroscopy recently organized a survey of 15 experts
(scientists who have been active in ISO/TC 201/SC5
and ISO/TC 201/SC7) to identify needs for new stan-
dards in AES and XPS and to determine relative pri-
orities.10 Initially, a group of about 14 possible work
items (standards needs) were identiÐed and circulated to
the experts for comments and ranking. Additional stan-
dards needs could be added and, as a result, 39 possible
work items were ranked in a second round of review.
The experts were asked to rate the proposed work
items on a scale from 0 to 5 in two categories.10 The
Ðrst category was an assessment of the need or impor-
tance of the work item, while the second category was
an assessment of the feasibility for completing the task
(i.e. based on present knowledge). In order to obtain a
rough priority ranking that takes the scores of both
categories into account, the average of the need ratings
( 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
867
was added to one-half of the average feasibility ratings
to obtain a total rating. Important and achievable tasks
would then receive the highest ratings.
Table 14 shows a rank ordering of the standards
needs identiÐed in this survey together with the average
ratings for the need and feasibility categories and the
total rating calculated as just described.10 The method
of calculating the total rating is somewhat arbitrary,
and ratings di†erences less than D0.5 are unlikely to be
signiÐcant. It is nevertheless interesting to note that
eight of the Ðrst nine items in Table 14 (with the excep-
tion of item 6) are included in the current or planned
work of ISO/TC 201/SC5 and ISO/TC 201/SC7. The
following seven items in Table 14 have a need rating of
3.5 or greater, as well as relatively high feasibility
ratings, and should therefore be considered as new work
items in the future work of these subcommittees ; con-
sideration will also have to be given, of course, to
meeting the remaining standards needs. While the
survey process that led to the identiÐcation of tasks in
Table 14 and their ranking is clearly useful, it should be
noted that some items ranked relatively low in the table
may need to be completed before work can begin on
higher-ranked items.
SUMMARY
A summary has been given of the organization and
work of ISO/TC 201 on Surface Chemical Analysis. The
participation of national standards bodies in ISO/TC
201 and its seven subcommittees is shown in Table 2.
The officers of the subcommittees are identiÐed in Table
1 and the purposes and conveners of the Ðfteen working
groups reporting to the committee or the subcommit-
tees are listed in Tables 3È10. At present, twelve poten-
tial international standards are under development
(Table 12) and an additional thirteen standards (Table
13) are expected to be developed shortly.
The delegates at ISO/TC 201 meetings are official
representatives of national standards bodies and liaison
organizations, and involve individuals with a variety of
interests including instrument manufacturers, suppliers
of surface analysis services, and users of surface analysis.
Scientists who wish to obtain more detailed information
about the potential international standards listed in
Table 12 and those under consideration (Table 13)
should contact the relevant subcommittee secretary
(Table 1) or working group convener (Tables 3È10).
Those interested in participation in any ISO/TC 201
project are advised to contact their national standards
body if their country is a P-member of ISO/TC 201
(Table 2). Participation of scientists in other countries
can sometimes be arranged through one of the liaison
organizations.
It is hoped that ISO/TC 201 standards will be useful
for demonstrating adherence to quality-assurance pro-
tocols as well as for improving the accuracy and effi-
ciency of surface analyses. Much work, however,
remains to be done to develop standards that cover the
surface analytical techniques and the conditions of
instrument operation, data acquisition, data processing,
qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis in current
use.
SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS, VOL. 25, 860È868 (1997)
868 C. J. POWELL AND R. SHIMIZU

Improvements in the capabilities of surface analysis useful. This survey identiÐed 39 possible areas for stan-
instrumentation and software continue to be made. A dards (Table 14) and will form the basis for future work
survey was recently conducted of AES and XPS experts by the ISO/TC 201 subcommittees on Auger electron
to identify and rank areas in which standards could be spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

REFERENCES

1. C. J. Powell and R. Shimizu, Surf . Interface Anal . 20, 322
(1993).
2. C. J. Powell and R. Shimizu, Surf . Interface Anal . 21, 615
(1994).
3. Mr J. Tokita, Japanese Standards Association, 3-11-15
Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107, Japan ÍFax : (½81) 3-3582-
2390Ë.
4. C. J. Powell and M. P. Seah, J . Vac . Sci . Technol . A 8, 735
(1990).
5. M. P. Seah, Phil. Trans. R . Soc . London A 354, 2765 (1996).
6. J. Spanner, ASTM Standard . News 23(1), 56 (1995).
7. ISO /IEC Directives , Part 1 , Procedures for the Technical Work ,
3rd Edn. International Organization for Standardization and
International Electrotechnical Commission, Geneva (1995).
8. M. P. Seah, Surf . Interface Anal . 19, 247 (1992).
9. ISO/TC 201 Document N80 (9 August 1996), available from
the ISO/TC 201 secretariat. (Ref. 3).
10. D. R. Baer, personal communication.

SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS, VOL. 25, 860È868 (1997) ( 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.