Laser probing of interfaces

Conference · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:10149498

Shen, Y R ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)

In the past decade, the possibility of using lasers to probe surfaces and interfaces has attracted a great of attention. Such techniques have the advantages of being able to interrogate a surface or interface in a non-detrimental and remote sensing way. Optical second harmonic generation (SHG) and sum frequency generation (SFG) have turned out to be most effective and versatile. By symmetry, these second-order nonlinear optical processes are forbidden (under the electric dipole approximation) in media with an inversion center. They can therefore be highly surface specific. They are also capable of probing with high spatial, temporal, and spectral resolutions, suitable for in-situ studies of surfaces in hostile environment, and applicable to all interfaces accessible by light. Indeed, they have been successful in finding applications to a large variety of surface and interfacial problems: probing adsorption and desorption of molecules from surfaces, measuring average molecular orientation of adsorbates, monitoring surface symmetry and surface phase transitions, conducting surface microscopy and surface spectroscopy, and many others. Here, we discuss a few examples to illustrate the power of the techniques.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 10149498
• Report Number(s): LBL--35305; CONF-9311138--2; ON: DE94011300
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

440600
47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION
665000
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
INTERFACES
LASER RADIATION
MEASURING METHODS
NONLINEAR OPTICS
OPTICAL INSTRUMENTATION
PHYSICS OF CONDENSED MATTER
PROBES
SURFACES