Elastic Electron Fine Structure and its Application to Surface and Interface Studies
Abstract
A new physical effect concerning elastic scattering of electrons inside a material, now called elastic electron fine structure (EEFS), is proposed. Its signal is obtained experimentally with commonly available apparatus. The result of a first principle calculation together with a series of experiments are consistent with the physical interpretation. They provide a foundation for the application of the EEFS technique to the study of surface and near interface local atomic structure. A variety of systems have been investigated using the EEFS technique. These systems range from elemental material (Cu, In, Si) to a compound (GaAs), from gas-surface interaction (O_2 + Cu, O _2 + Si) to a metal-semiconductor interface (In on GaAs). In all cases, valuable information, such as bond length and surface order, which are not obtainable or not easily obtainable from other techniques is straightforwardly acquired. Most significant of all, a 11% contraction of the inter-atomic distance is found at the UHV evaporated Cu surface. Results from the Si(111) surface as well as the UHV evaporated In surface also show evidence of such large bond length contraction.
- Publication:
-
Ph.D. Thesis
- Pub Date:
- January 1990
- Bibcode:
- 1990PhDT.......103L
- Keywords:
-
- SURFACE STUDIES;
- Engineering: Materials Science; Physics: Condensed Matter