Auger electron/X-ray photoelectron and cathodoluminescent (CL) spectroscopic studies were conducted on pulsed laser deposited SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ thin films and the correlation between the surface chemical reactions and the decrease in the CL intensity was determined. The Auger electron and the CL data were collected simultaneously in a vacuum chamber either maintained at base pressure or backfilled with oxygen gas. The data were collected when the films were irradiated for 14 h with 2 keV electrons. The CL emission peak attributed to the 4f(6)5d(1)-> 4f(7) transitions was observed at similar to 521 nm and the CL intensity of the peaks degraded at different rates in different vacuum conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data collected from degraded films suggest that strontium oxide (SrO) and aliminium oxide (Al2O3) were formed on the surface of the film as a result of electron stimulated surface chemical reaction (ESSCR). (C) 2010 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.