X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, ESCA) is an ideal tool for identifying differences in surface chemistry. ln the past, it has lacked the spatial resolution as well as the performance of elemental or even chemical state imaging, to be of significant use in detecting most microscopic surface phenomena. The recent development of improved micro- or small spot-XPS systems with near-micron spatial resolution as well as outstanding chemical state image performance has opened up a significant opportunity to undertake more detailed studies of micro-structured or micro-patterned surfaces or technical samples with locally distributed impurities. The introduction of a new detector type, the delay-line detector (DLD), to XPS-equipments allows for the first time the acquisition of quantifiable XPS images. This study is intended primarily to explore the capabilities of quantitative ESCA-imaging with respect to the possibilities and limits. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.