Surfaces of Solids Microscopy and Spectroscopy

A number of methods that provide information about the structure of a solid surface, its composition, and the oxidation states present have come into use. The recent explosion of activity in scanning probe microscopy has resulted in investigation of a wide variety of surface structures under a range of conditions. In addition, spectroscopic interrogation of the solid-high-vacuum interface elucidates structure and other atomic processes. 

The function of this chapter is to review these methods with emphasis on the types of phenomenology involved and information obtained. Many of the effects are complicated, and full theoretical descriptions are still lacking. The wide variety of methods and derivative techniques has resulted in a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms. A short list is given in Table VIII-1 (see pp. 313-318) the lUPAC recommendations for the abbreviations are found in Ref. 1. 

A few of the most frequently used techniques are discussed briefly in this chapter references to those not covered are given in the table. Useful reviews are Refs. 2-5 and 6 and, for organic surfaces. Refs. 7-9 and 10. Also, many of the various measurements have found use in the study of the adsorbed state, and further examples of their use are to be found in Chapters VII, XVI, and XVII. 

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