The BAM is a senior scientific and technical Federal institute with responsibility to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. It tests, researches and advises to protect people, the environment and material goods.

BAM sets and represents standards for safety in technology and chemistry for Germany and for its global markets, to further develop the successful "Made in Germany" culture of quality. BAM fulfils this role through its dedicated employees.

According to its founding decree, BAM is responsible for the

• further development of safety in technology and chemistry
• implementation and evaluation of physical and chemical tests of materials and facilities, including the preparation of reference processes and reference materials
• promotion of knowledge and technology transfer within the BAM's areas of work
• cooperation in the development of statutory regulations, for example concerning the setting of safety standards and limits
• advice to the Federal Government, industry, and national and international organisations in the fields of material technology and chemistry.

BAM is the successor organisation to the Staatliches Materialprüfungsamt [National Materials Testing Office], founded in 1871, and the Chemisch-Technische Reichsanstalt [Chemical-Technical State Institute], founded in 1920.

BAM joins HyMET with two divisions:

Division 6.1, Surface Analysis and Interfacial Chemistry (contact: Vasile-Dan Hodoroaba):

The X-ray and electron spectroscopy group ensures specific knowledge in analysis of elemental composition of thin, porous layers by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) in conjunction with morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Elemental analysis is completed with high spatial resolution (~ 10 nm) Auger electron spectroscopy/microscopy and with elemental sensitive time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), both methods being applied also in the depth-profile mode.

Division 6.7, Surface Modification and Surface Measurement Technology (contact: Andreas Hertwig):

This group studies both synthesis-related and measurement-related topics connected to the mechanical, optical, and chemical functionality of surfaces. Investigations concern the application and ongoing development of coating and surface designs in the fields of quality assurance, standardisation and damage analysis. A wide range of methods is employed in this group covering thin film deposition, hardness and module determination, electrochemistry, and optical surface analysis. For the HyMET project, the optical characterisation via spectroscopic ellipsometry is in the focus determining thicknesses and dielectric function of layers as well as porosity filling factors.