Abstract

New insights into the physics and chemistry of semiconductor surfaces are being provided by reflectance-difference spectroscopy (RDS), a noninvasive normal-incidence optical probe that takes advantage of the intrinsic symmetry of cubic materials to enhance the ordinarily weak surface contribution to the overall optical signal. A recently developed double-modulation version has yielded the first direct optical measurements of surface dielectric responses under steady-state conditions, thereby realizing a 20-year goal of surface spectroscopy and opening up new possibilities in the study of interfaces and of surfaces under either UHV or non-UHV conditions.

© 1990 Optical Society of America