Surface and Interface Analysis

Summary

A wide range of experimental techniques are available to study the physical properties of electronic materials' surfaces and interfaces. Most of the techniques listed require ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions to avoid ambient contamination during measurement as well as to allow excitation of the specimen under study. Several of these techniques are available with excitation beams focused on a nanometer scale. These include confocal photoluminescence (PL) and Raman scattering (RS), electron microscope‐based cathodoluminescence spectroscopy (CLS), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and focused ion beam secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). These techniques are described in chapters devoted to photon, electron, and ion excitation, scanned probe, and related techniques with particular emphasis on those contributing significantly to our understanding of electronic surfaces and interfaces. In order to be detected, these electrons must first reach the free surface and escape into vacuum.