The Analytical Instrumentation Facility (AIF) is a laboratory composed of scientists and engineers specializing in the development and application of advanced techniques for materials characterization (http://spm.aif.ncsu.edu/aif/index.html)http://www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=43210. AIF facilities include an extensive collection of analytical instrumentation utilized in teaching, research, and in support of academic and industrial programs. General forms of analysis include: electron, ion, and photon microscopies, surface science and analysis, and scanned probe microscopies. An abbreviated listing of AIF capabilities follows: metallography/sample preparation, optical microscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS), Secondary Electron Microscopy (SEM), Scanned Probe Microscopy (SPM), Micro-Raman Spectroscopy, Focused Ion Beam Micro-machining (FIBM), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS or ESCA).

AIF is a resource utilized not only by those within NC State requiring analytical services, but also by a large number of North Carolina non-profit and industrial organizations as well as the Materials Community at large.