X-Ray Probes for In Situ Studies of Interfaces

Abstract

AbstractSurfaces and buried interfaces play critical roles in many environmental, catalytic, and tribological processes and in a wide variety of applications, including microelectronics and optoelectronics. Interfacial structure and composition are closely coupled to their surroundings, and probes that yield information about materials in situ are essential to obtain a thorough understanding of interface functions and properties. The highly brilliant, hard x-rays available from synchrotron light sources can easily penetrate through gas or liquid environments, or even solid thin-film overlayers, and enable real-time monitoring of the evolving chemistry and structure of the interface with atomic-scale resolution. Here we review the in situ study of interfaces by a variety of synchrotron x-ray scattering techniques and provide several examples of their application in electrochemical processes and thin-film island growth. We also discuss recent advances in analytical techniques and x-ray optics that are facilitating the in situ study of surfaces and buried interfaces with direct imaging.