Frustrated total reflection technique

As a major branch of nanotribology. Thin Film Lubrication (TFL) has drawn great concerns. The lubricant him of TFL, which exists in ultra precision instruments or machines, usually ranges from a few to tens of nanometres thick under the condition of point or line contacts with heavy load, high temperature, low speed, and low viscosity lubricant. One of the problems of TFL study is to measure the him thickness quickly and accurately. The optical method for measuring the lubricant him thickness has been widely used for many years. Goher and Cameron [3] successfully used the technique of interferometry to measure elastohydrody-namic lubrication him in the range from 100 nm to 1 /rm in 1967. Now the optical interference method and Frustrated Total Reflection (FTR) technique can measure the him thickness of nm order. 

In Section 2.4, we describe the principle of the Frustrated Total Reflection (FTR) Technique, which was hrst applied by Professor Wen s group at State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, for measuring him thickness in mixed lubrication [6,7]. 

Another interesting variant of the total reflection technique is the so-called Surface Electromagnetic Wave Spectroscopy (SEWS), which consists of the generation of a surface plasmon on a substrate by frustrated total internal reflection in a prism located a few microns from the surface. This plasmon is decoupled by a second prism. Some interesting data relating to surface modes on alumina have been reported with this technique [30]. 

ATR has been found as an easy to use, non-destmctive and surface-sensitive IR sampling technique for the in situ investigation of CMP processes (Hind et al., 2001). It was initially pushed by Harrick (1967) and comprehensively treated in his early book and following editions together with Mirabella (1985). Numerous alternative and partially deceptive names are used instead of ATR spectroscopy internal reflection spectroscopy, evanescent wave spectroscopy, frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR, which should not to be confused with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy) and multiple internal reflection (MIR, which should not to be confused with mid-infrared )- Therefore, in the following the term ATR as defined in Section 14.4.1 and illustrated with Figure 14.8 is used exclusively. 

ATR. Attenuated total reflectance and its extension, frustrated multiple internal reflectance (FMIR), are excellent techniques for the analysis of surfaces. In these techniques the sample does not have to be reflecting, as the reflection is done by the crystal-sample interface (Section 3.8). 

Attenuated total reflection (ATR) has grown into the most widely practiced technique in infrared spectrometry. The reasons for this are fairly straightforward the technique requires little or no sample preparation, and consistent results can be obtained with relatively little care or expertise. The technique is not foolproof, but it can be very forgiving. ATR spectrometry is known by a number of alternative names, for example, multiple internal reflection (MIR), which is not to be confused with mid-infrared, frustrated multiple internal reflection (FMIR), evanescent wave spectrometry (EWS), frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR), which is not the same as Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, and internal reflection spectrometry (IRS), but IRS is better known, at least in the United States, as the Internal Revenue Service. 

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