The precision analysis of surfaces and interfaces of condensed matter systems is an area of significant importance in materials science and fascinates the scientific community. One of the reasons is that a well-characterised surface is an excellent system to test ideas about the physics of two-dimensional systems in both traditional solids like metals and semiconductors and in liquids, polymers and other organic materials. As technological advances have been made, a wide range of techniques characterises surface systems of inherent complexities that are markedly different from those of bulk systems. Since each technique has its own characteristics with particular advantages over the other, complimentary analytical tools are generally used for surface characterisations that are at least adequate for the purpose of the user. With the rapid advancement in the techniques related to materials analysis, parallel developments in the ion beam methods have been made, generating a great deal of popularity for uses in analysing surfaces and interfaces. In quantitative analyses, ion beams are accepted as a favoured means owing to their extreme controllability.
With the developments and diversification in ultra high vacuum and ion source instrumentation, complex ion optical designs have been realised simultaneously, eventually making ion beam methods a state-of-the-art means for probing surfaces and interfaces of condensed matter systems.