A new data management concept for AES and SAM

The problem of interchangeability of surface analytical data is gaining increasing importance in multi-method surface analysis. There are various surface analytical instruments in different laboratories on several automation levels. For these instruments, which are controlled by computer systems working with company-specific software under various operating systems, a standardised data format is necessary to allow an exchange of data. Therefore, we are developing a software package for the transfer, archiving and editing of surface analytical data called MAXMIND (management and exchange of method independent data), which is based on public domain software products. It allows the storage of all available and necessary information on experimental conditions and all parameters specific for a number of analytical techniques such as AES, SAM, XPS, SIMS, STM and AFM. Additionally, all data concerning the sample-preparation and the state of the instrument are included in order to allow a well-founded evaluation of the data and improved reproducibility of the experiment. This concept is demonstrated in detail for the two Auger techniques AES (Auger Electron Spectroscopy) and SAM (Scanning Auger Microscopy).