REFLECTION ANISOTROPY SPECTROSCOPY: AN OPTICAL PROBE OF SURFACES AND INTERFACES

Abstract

Reflection anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) is a nondestructive surface-sensitive optical probe capable of operation within a wide range of environments. RAS has been applied to semiconductor surfaces and has found use as an in situ monitor of semiconductor growth. Surface sensitivity has been demonstrated with the detection of reconstructions, dimer orientations, and adsorption. More recently, RAS has been used to probe the surface optical properties of metals. In this article, some aspects of the RAS technique are described, including an analysis of the passage of polarized light through the RA spectrometer, which results in frequency-dependent terms related to the real and imaginary RA. A short review of recent applications of RAS is given.