TRENDS IN SURFACE AND INTERFACE ANALYSIS

The rapid progress in high technology constantly poses new challenges for Analytical Chemistry and prompts the development of new techniques and procedures. The influence is particularly strong in surface and i nterface analysis, which is developing at a rapid pace. This paper dis cusses some of the frontier areas like high-resolution depth-distribut ion analysis of trace elements, quantitative depth distribution analys is of ultra thin-layer systems, quantitative trace element analysis in monolayers, 3-dimensional stereometric analysis, molecular analysis, in-situ atomic resolution analysis of surfaces (chemical nanoscopy). M ethodological approaches are discussed as well as results obtained mai nly with solid state mass spectrometry and atomic force microscopy.