Clean surface

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-002109",
  "term": "Clean surface",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "A surface that is free of any detectable amounts of foreign substances, as determined by the analytical technique being used. The definition is operational, as a surface considered clean by one method may show contamination when analyzed by a more sensitive technique. For example, a surface appearing clean via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) might show contaminants when examined with secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS).",
  "subject": "Analytical Chemistry",
  "see_also": [
    "contamination"
  ],
  "references": [
    "PAC, 1979, 51, 2243. 'General aspects of trace analytical methods - IV. Recommendations for nomenclature, standard procedures and reporting of experimental data for surface analysis techniques' on page 2247 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac197951112243)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/clean-surface/"
}