Surface investigations with atomic beams

Abstract

High-pressure nozzle sources yielding neutral particle beams with good monochromacy and high intensity have been combined in the last few years with ultra-high vacuum techniques to allow for atomic beam scattering experiments from solid surfaces which meet the purity requirements of modern surface science. Thus, experimental investigations even of very reactive surfaces have become possible. Beam techniques are presently being used in many branches of surface physics and chemistry, such as studies of the particle-surface physisorption potential, of surface structure, of surface phonons, of surface migration and diffusion, of the energy exchange upon collision of heavy particles and molecules with surfaces, and of substrate-mediated chemical reactions.

High Resolution Scattering of He Atoms and D₂ Molecules from the LiF(001) Crystal Surface

“…Introduction which has made HAS a standard tool to study dispersion curves of surface phonons [20][21][22]; structural properties of clean surfaces, adsorbates, and defects [23][24][25]; surface growth, phase transition, surface diffusion and adsorption [26,27]. With the progress of theoretical and experimental methods in past 30 years, considerable advances have been made in atomic and molecular scattering from surfaces, which has been the subject of several reviews [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] and books [20,23,[37][38][39][40].…”