Abstract

The chemical reactivity of molecules physisorbed or chemisorbed on solid surfaces is a topic of interest in many areas of applied physics and chemistry. A large portion of the activity in this field of research has been focused on the catalytic action of surfaces; however, the recent discoveries on the possibility to enhance, trigger and even control chemical reactions with photon and particle beams incident on surfaces are now starting to shift scientific interests toward studies of the dynamics involved in these non-thermal reactions. Particularly, photon and electron beam methods are expected to surpass present macroscopic methods (e.g., plasma etching) in the manufacture of microelectronic and micromechanical devices requiring fine-line lithography [1]. One class of such techniques involves the utilization of laser photons with energies ranging from 0.1 eV in the infrared to 6 eV in the ultraviolet [2]. Many of the laser-driven surface reactions are expected to be caused by the photogeneration of low-energy electrons which transfer energy to an adsorbate causing dissociation and desorption [3-7].

© 1991 Optical Society of America