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Atomscale organizes data around three core entities: Projects, Physical Samples, and Data Items. These form a containment hierarchy that mirrors how experimental work is structured.

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Hierarchy

Organization
└── Projects
    └── Physical Samples
        └── Data Items
LevelDescriptionExample
OrganizationYour company or institution. All users and data belong to one.”Acme Semiconductors”
ProjectGroups physical samples for comparison and analysis.”GaN LED optimization”
Physical SampleRepresents a growth run, grouping related data from that run.”GaN-2024-01-15”
Data ItemAn individual uploaded file: a RHEED video, XPS scan, recipe, etc.”rheed_rotating_001.mp4”
Physical samples can belong to multiple projects, and data items can exist without being assigned to a physical sample.

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Core Entities

Projects

Group physical samples related to a specific initiative, allowing you to view and analyze all their data in one place.

Physical Samples

Represent growth runs and group instrument and characterization data from the same run for comparison and analysis.

Data Items

Individual metrology, instrument, and characterization files uploaded to Atomscale.

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Metadata

You can associate metadata with physical samples and data items to add context and enable filtering:
Metadata TypeDescriptionExample
Growth InstrumentThe synthesis instrument used (MBE, PVD, sputter, CVD, ALD, PLD).”MBE-1”, “Sputter System A”
Target MaterialThe material being grown, including substrate and layer information.”GaN on Sapphire”
TagsFlexible labels organized by category for filtering and grouping.”experiment:doe-q1”, “priority:high”
Each of these metadata types can be managed from the Metadata section in the sidebar. Notes can also be attached to projects, physical samples, and data items for free-form context.