Abstract
The valence electronic states in thin films are quantized by the films' boundaries. This represents a substantial modification of the band structure of the system which influences all physical properties. Dramatic variations in thermal stability are observed in thin metallic films on an atomic layer-by-layer basis. This chapter describes measurements of morphology, stability, and electronic structure of thin metallic films using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and discusses theoretical models that can predict stability based on the quantization of states. Further measurements using x-ray diffraction extend these results to structures more complex than uniform films.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Thin Film Growth |
| Subtitle of host publication | Physics, Materials Science and Applications |
| Publisher | Elsevier Ltd |
| Pages | 22-51 |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781845697365 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
Most of the materials chosen for inclusion in this review are based on work supported by the US Department of Energy (grant DE-FG02-07ER46383). The photoemission experiments discussed herein were performed at the Synchrotron Radiation Center (SRC), University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is supported by the US National Science Foundation (grant DMR-09–06444). We acknowledge the ACS Petroleum Research Fund and the US National Science Foundation (grant DMR-05-37588) for partial support of the beamline operations at SRC.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| US Department of Energy | DE-FG02-07ER46383 |
| US National Science Foundation | DMR-09–06444 |
| American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund | DMR-05-37588 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison |
Keywords
- Angle-resolved photoemission
- Atomically uniform films
- Metallic quantum wells
- Quantum electronic stability
- Thermal stability
