Presents a discussion of the damage and artifacts resulting from the beams used in surface compositional analysis or for sputter depth profiling. The first chapter deals with photon beam damage in the surface and near-surface of solids, and especially the damage from X- rays used in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In the second chapter, the fundamentals of electronic-excitation processes are discussed. The third chapter is concerned with ion-bean- bombardment effects on solid surfaces at energies used for sputter depth profiling. The fourth chapter is an overview of profiling methods used for the characterization of surface topography. An overview of sputter depth profiling for near-surface compositional analysis is provided in the fifth and final chapter.