Zr-V alloy getter films were prepared on stainless steel substrates by magnetron sputtering. The thermal activation behavior of these getters was investigated by synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy using photon excitation energies of 600, 250 and 73 eV. Depth resolved results were compared to the results of the SIMS profiling. The measurements confirmed the disappearance of the superficial oxide layer covering the air-exposed Zr-V surfaces via its progressive reduction during the thermal activation. The depth sensitive results showed that the activated getter surface is covered by a residual zirconium suboxide. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.