Keck Interdisciplinary Surface Science (Keck-II) Center was established in late 2001 through the support of W. M. Keck Foundation. Keck-II also has received some support from Northwestern's Institute for Nanotechnology's NSF-sponsored Nanoscale Science & Engineering Center (NSEC)as well as from the State of IL and the university. Keck-II facilitates research, collaboration, education and outreach in all science from soft biological matter to hard physical matter, specializing in surface analysis and nano-scale characterization.

Keck-II hosts a Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), a X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS/ESCA), and a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and an Acton TriVista CRS Confocal Raman System from Princeton Instruments (Confocal Raman), purchased by NU Professor Mark Hersam and managed by Keck-II staff.

Keck-II is open to all the faculty and students at Northwestern University as well as the researchers at the nearby academic institutions and related industrial companies. Keck-II center operates and functions like its sister facilities (NIFTI and EPIC)-based on the core philosophy of open-access, hand-on training, collaboration and assistance from our able staff. Training is offered on a periodic basis, both as “crash courses” or part of hands-on structured courses, as well as individual ad-hoc training as need arises.