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The in-plane density of phonon states of clean Fe(110) surface was measured separately for the first, second, and further atomic monolayers using nuclear inelastic scattering of synchrotron radiation. The results show that atoms of the first layer vibrate with frequencies significantly lower and amplitudes much larger than those in the bulk, and that vibrational spectra along two perpendicular in-surface directions are different. The vibrations of the second layer are already very close to those of the bulk. The good agreement of the experimental results and the first-principles calculations allows for detailed understanding of the observed phenomena.

We present a detailed study of the magnetic and structural properties of L1 0 -FePt thin films. The films are prepared via molecular beam epitaxy directly onto MgO͑001͒ substrates, i.e., without buffer layer. Despite the large lattice misfit between the in-plane lattice parameters of L1 0 FePt and MgO, highly ordered thin films are obtained with the easy magnetization c axis perpendicular to the film plane. Via high resolution transmission electron microscopy and Rutherford backscattering measurements we focus on the FePt/MgO interface to study the misfit relaxation and the defect density. Further, the influence of elevated substrate temperatures and of postgrowth high temperature annealing on the structural and magnetic properties is discussed.

A multifunctional ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) system has been set up at the nuclear resonance beamline ID18 of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). Thin and ultrathin films, nanoislands and -wires, multilayers, and stoichiometric oxides can be prepared by molecular beam epitaxy and characterized by low-energy electron diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, and reflection high-energy electron diffraction. Upon characterization the sample is transferred under UHV conditions to the chamber for experiments with the synchrotron beam. Electronic and magnetic properties, vibrational dynamics, and diffusion phenomena can be investigated by several synchrotron radiation based techniques, such as nuclear forward scattering, nuclear inelastic and quasielastic scattering, synchrotron radiation based perturbed angular correlations, and nuclear and electronic reflectivity. In addition, two portable UHV chambers serve to transfer the sample to other beamlines profiting from the available experimental techniques at the ESRF.

An in-plane spin-reorientation transition occurring during the growth of epitaxial Fe films on W(110) was studied in situ by using the nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation. The spin-reorientation transition originates at the Fe/W(110) interface and proceeds via a noncollinear spin structure resembling a planar domain wall that propagates towards the surface with increasing film thickness.

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For a complete quality control of different thin film module technologies (a-Si, CdTe, and CIS) a combination of fast and nondestructive methods was investigated. Camera-based measurements, such as electroluminescence (EL), photoluminescence (PL), and infrared (IR) technologies, offer excellent possibilities for determining production failures or defects in solar modules which cannot be detected by means of standard power measurements. These types of optical measurement provide high resolution images with a two-dimensional distribution of the characteristic features of PV modules. This paper focuses on quality control and characterization using EL, PL, and IR imaging with conventional cameras and an alternative excitation source for the PL-setup.

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