A main research area of our department is the spectroscopic and micro spectroscopic investigation of layers and layer structures in order to get information about the electronic properties and the geometrical structures of several materials, such as high-k oxides, metal and mixed oxides, inter metallic interfaces, semiconductors, conducting and semiconducting polymers, and with recent focus graphene.

For this purpose we use electron spectroscopic methods as XPS, UPS, WDX, AES, resPES, EELS, NEXAFS and spectromicroscopic mapping (PEEM), where gas discharge lamps or X-ray radiation in the lab as well as high brilliant synchrotron radiation (Bessy II in Berlin, Solaris in Cracow) serve as excitation sources. Furthermore, microscopic investigations (AFM, STM, optical) are applied for the structural characterisation of these materials.

The exploration of these materials is important for their use in solar and fuel cells, field effect devices, sensors, catalysis and in other fields of material science.

Besides the spectroscopic characterisation of materials for several applications, we also develop and test sensors based on organic FET-devices, resistive and piezoelectric layers as well as catalysts for photocatalysis, fuel cells and CO₂ methanation. These activities focus on the design of sensors or catalysts, the analysis of their characteristic behaviour (sensitivity, selectivity, cross sensitivity, temperature dependence, long term stability), the development of the measurement technique and the data evaluation.

In addition, the chair is very active in the research area of atomic layer deposition (ALD). In particular the initial layer growth is in the focus of interest. The layer deposition as well as the characterization are done in situ = "(in situ)²", where the characterization can be performed "cycle by cycle".