Photoelectric effect takes places when a substance is irradiated with electromagnetic radiation that has enough energy to remove electrons from the sample atoms. The electrons that are removed in this process are called photoelectrons and their kinetic energy depends on the energy (wavelength) of the exciting radiation, the binding energy of the electron and also on the work function. By detecting these photoelectrons and measuring their kinetic energy it is therefore possible to calculate its original binding energy, which gives information about the chemical composition and chemical state of the surface of the sample. Photoelectron spectroscopy and photoelectron microscopy are two main materials characterization methods that utilize this phenomena.
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